The Color of Freedom
by words.left.unsaid
Summary: A young girl, forced into submission by years of torture, Bella Swan fights for her freedom. But what happens when she has a new owner? Will he be her salvation or her imprisonment? Disclaimer: This is NOT a BDSM fic, nor is anything within this story meant to portray one. Don't be under the impression that slavery is the same as a BDSM relationship. It is not.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: This story contains very mature themes so please don't read it if you have an aversion to rape, prostitution, and abuse. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**For my mother…**

She winced as his hand came down on her cheek. A loud slapping noise was heard echoing through the silent room.

"You disobeyed me Isabella." He sneered at her.

"What have I done Master?" she asked with a shaky voice. She was standing naked with her hands intertwined in front of her. She stared at the floor; having learned early on that looking him in the eye was the worst possible thing to do. Her cheek stung but she bit back her tears knowing the consequences of crying.

"You have no right to ask me what the motivations for my actions are. You are nothing but a filthy used up whore. Am I right?" he sneered into her ear as he circled her slowly.

"Yes Master." She felt more tears building up in her eyes.

"Say it." He barked loudly.

"I am nothing but a filthy used up whore." Her voice was monotonous.

"Good girl." He said as he stroked her curly mahogany hair. Then he grabbed her roughly and turned her around. He bent her over the edge of the bed. Her knees couldn't reach the floor so she balanced herself on the balls of her feet.

She bit her lip to keep herself from crying.

"It's time for your punishment Isabella." His voice was mocking. It made her shiver. She knew what was coming and she was powerless to prevent it. "Three on each side. Count them out loud."

She nodded. "Yes Master." Her voice shook.

She felt the cold edge of the razor blade against the back of her thigh. He tore through her skin. "One."

He moved lower. "Two."

He again moved lower. "T-Three." She could feel her warm blood trickle down her thighs.

He switched to her other thigh. "One."

"T-Two."

"T-T-Three." She was holding back sobs by now.

"Now apologize Isabella." His rough voice startled her.

She turned around and kneeled before him. She reached up and unzipped his pants.

She closed her eyes and tried not to think about what she was doing. She tried not to listen to his noises and his words.

When he finished he turned her around and pushed her onto the bed. He kneeled in between her legs and began to humiliate her in the worst ways possible. She fought the pain and the tears; biting her lip to keep from crying. She wasn't ready for him. She was never ready for him.

He palmed her breasts roughly; squeezing and pinching at her nipples. He twisted them and was unaware of the fact that he had torn her skin. She bit down on her tongue, knowing that if she made a noise without his permission, he would punish her severely.

Minutes passed but all she could feel was the excruciating pain.

She was his favorite out of all the girls in the house. He didn't use them as much as he used her. It was because she was the most beautiful. She had flawless pale skin. Her full lips were as red as cherries and her eyes were a deep brown. They were fringed by unnaturally long black lashes that tickled her cheeks whenever she blinked. She had a small button like nose.

She was very petite; only standing at 5'2'' and weighing less than a hundred pounds.

But that was why he liked her most. She was smaller and tighter. She was most easy to 'dominate'.

She felt him grow larger inside of her before he grunted and growled for a few seconds as he spilled himself into her.

He pulled out of her then. He pushed her and she fell on the bed. Her body shook with silent sobs.

"Thank me Isabella." He sneered.

"Thank you Master." Her face was hidden behind her hair as she lay on her side.

He chuckled as he left her room; slamming the door shut.

When she heard that sound, she broke down sobbing. Her chest heaved up and down as she wished for a different life. She wished for a life where she was free. She got up. Her head was hung, defeated, as she limped to the bathroom.

She felt excruciating soreness between her legs. But she sucked her tears up, knowing that her first time had been much worse. He had not taken mercy on her. He didn't care that she was too young. He didn't care that she was too small. He didn't have a care in the world as he plunged into her virgin body and ripped her innocence away.

She looked in the mirror that hung above the sink. She saw a girl. She saw that the girl had tears streaming down her face. They looked like they burned like acid. She saw a girl with sad brown eyes and a heart wrenching expression. She saw a weak girl; a girl that didn't fight hard enough.

She bit her lip as it quivered. She spit into the sink when she tasted the vile flavor in her mouth.

Blood.

It was everywhere. It was always everywhere after _he _came.

A dark bruise was quickly forming on her cheek. She couldn't let it happen. He would punish her and blame her even if he knew how she got the mark.

The others didn't care about marks, but he did.

She grabbed a hand towel from the rack near the sink. She held it under the cold spray under the tap. She held the cold towel to her face; hoping that God would answer her prayers and save her from the slavery and the abuse; hoping the bruise would fade before _he_ returned and gave her many many more.

**OoO**

"We are getting them all line up Mr. Masen. You will see them shortly, but first I want to go over some paperwork with you." The tall white haired man spoke with a light Italian accent. His voice was whispery and faint; but its tone demanded authority.

"Alright." Was his only reply.

He walked down the small narrow hallway, following the old man. The walls were painted a light beige; similar to the color of vomit. He winced at the disgusting analogy.

Doors lined the hallway. All of them were closed. All of them held young girls praying for an escape. But one door was open and as he passed by, his electric green eyes settled on a pale, dark haired woman who was reading a book.

He was immediately intrigued by her, but Aro ushered him along before he could state his interest.

Aro led him into a dark dungeon like room. A line of young women stretched from wall to wall. They all shivered and shook; all wanting escape, but hating the possibility that their escape would be worse than their imprisonment.

But he saw that the pale, dark haired woman stood perfectly still. She was afraid but she didn't show it. Every man she had ever met lived off of fear. If she didn't show fear, they wouldn't desire anything from her was what she thought. Unfortunately they did anyways. They desired her body. They desired it intensely.

His eyes swept over her form and his body immediately gravitated towards her. He paused in front of her. Her eyes gazed downward; settling on his shiny black shoes.

Her hands were intertwined in front of her and her mahogany hair curled all the way down to her waist. The tight black dress that clung to her skin was uncomfortable.

Aro's light papery voice rung through the air, "This is Anthony Masen. But you will call him Sir. Now greet him." He commanded.

"Good day Sir." Was the monotonous reply of the group of women. He finally heard her voice. He was dying to hear it.

It was soft and sweet. He knew that he couldn't leave her there. "Her." He said as he nodded towards her small frame.

He had chosen.

He wasn't supposed to.

She shivered in fear. He was so much larger than her, well over a foot taller. He was well muscled. She could tell that he had enormous strength hidden beneath his grey suit.

She was afraid.

"Ah. Excellent choice Mr. Masen. She is a favorite of many customers." Aro spoke from his place near the door. "When would you like to take her home?" Aro asked.

"Today." He replied as he stared at the pale woman shivering in front of her.

"Eager are we." Aro smirked knowingly. "I can see why." His voice was threatening and low. His desire for her was intense, but he knew that he couldn't cross Anthony Masen who was supposedly extremely rich and powerful; keeping to himself and living a very private life. "Isabella." Aro spoke. "Return to your quarters and pack your belongings. Be ready to leave within the hour."

"Yes Master." She complied and made her way out the door.

As soon as she made it back to her room she collapsed on her bed. Sobs racked her small form and she knew then that she would never know the freedom she so desperately desired.

Just then her door swung open. She jumped and sat up, wiping away the tears that spilled from her eyes.

It was _him_. She had no idea how he had heard the news that she had been bought. He obviously had connections.

"Isabella." He stood in front of her as stroked her face softly. Then he raised his hand up and slapped her as hard as he could. She cried out and cradled her face as she sobbed softly. "You stupid slut." He sneered. "I'll find you Isabella. Trust me. And when I do, I'll never let go. I'll fuck you so hard you'll be coughing up blood." He whispered into her ear.

She sobbed louder.

He pushed her onto the bed and held her body still as she struggled to break free. She tasted bile in the back of her throat as his hands traveled up her legs slowly.

"Please don't." she begged. She knew that speaking would ignite his anger, but she desperately wanted to be free of him.

He froze then and glared at her. His muddy brown eyes flashed with disdain.

His hands were around her neck then; squeezing her flesh; choking her. Her hands clawed at his fingers as her body was denied the oxygen she desperately needed.

"How dare you _bitch_? You have no right to tell me what to do. How would you like it if I fucked you right now whiles I choked you to death? You're a fucking slut and you know it." He waited for her to respond; for her to agree. He knew that she couldn't and he loved that she was so helpless beneath him.

She had no idea where his anger came from or what fueled it. She did know that the fact that he couldn't buy her like she was house wares made him extremely volatile.

She knew that he was waiting for a response but she couldn't as she helplessly continued to claw at his fingers, which were still tightly wrapped around her neck.

She saw black dots cloud her vision as she slowly slipped away. He moved his free hand to the front of his jeans and he pulled his zipper down.

He released himself. He reached down to the hem of her dress and pulled it upwards; ignoring her struggles as he pushed her panties aside.

She began to feel dizzy as the lack of oxygen began to cloud her brain.

She felt her skin tearing little by little as he plunged into her. Her nails scraped against his skin more forcefully and she knew she was drawing blood.

He released the hold he had of her neck. He didn't want her to pass out. He wanted her awake for this. She coughed violently and her sobs grew louder.

"P-please…" she begged him to stop. Instead, he pounded into her harder. She screamed louder as his actions became wilder and more painful.

He stilled inside of her as he released. "Ah yes Isabella." He pulled out of her and put himself back into his pants.

He didn't notice that he had her blood on him.

He didn't notice the blood that ran out of her body slowly. "Thank me Isabella."

She let out a strangled sob. "Thank you Master."

He growled then. He leaned down and grabbed the back of her head, pulling her up into a sitting position by her hair.

There was a dark bruise on her cheek and a little cut on her cheekbone. Her lips had a cut at the side as well. Tears streamed down her face.

He slapped her again and she cried out. "Say my fucking name you whore." He spat at her.

More sobs erupted from her, "Thank you Master Jacob."

He grinned at her evilly then. His white teeth shined brightly against his dark brown skin. His face disgusted her and she fought the urge to spit in it.

"I'll find you Isabella. Remember that." With that he stormed out, leaving her a sobbing heap on her bed.

She cried because of her pain. She cried because she knew that Anthony Masen would hurt her the same way…perhaps he would hurt her more.

She didn't know. All she knew was that she would never know freedom.

She pulled herself up and once again, she found herself limping to the bathroom. She wet a towel and put it against her cheek.

The bruise was horrible and impossible to notice. She was afraid that her new Master would be angry that she was broken already. She was afraid that he would hurt her because of it.

She cleaned the mess between her legs; wincing and biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from screaming out in pain.

She fixed her dress; hating the fact that she looked like a first class whore.

She went to the nightstand that stood at the corner of her bed and picked up the only thing she owned. It was a book. She read it repeatedly and she continued to love it. It was 'Wuthering Heights'. She loved the complexity of the novel. She loved that fact that she never really understood it. She loved that she could read it over and over again and each time learn something new.

Suddenly her door swung open. She dropped to her knees, clasped her hands in front of her and looked at the floor.

The man who bought her came to stand in front of her…she had already forgotten his name. She heard the man take in a sharp breath of air.

"What are you doing on the floor?" his velvety voice penetrated the air around her.

"I-I thought that this was the preferred position Sir." Her voice trembled.

She felt it as he reached his hand out to her. She flinched at his impending touch. Suddenly his hand disappeared from her line of sight. She closed her eyes and breathed through her nose; silently preparing herself for the inevitable slap that would land on her cheek.

But instead, she felt his hand rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder. "Shhh." He cooed. She hadn't even realized that she was sobbing.

She didn't know what to do. She bit her lip and the sobs faded. "I'm sorry Sir."

"Don't apolo—" he stopped himself with a sigh; hating that he was about to completely disregard the fact that she was just raped for the sake of 'keeping in character'. His sweet breath washed over her face and she shivered. "Come on. Let's go." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her up roughly.

He pulled her out of the room and down the hallway; dragging her tiny body as if he could care less about her pain when in truth, the little whimpers that escaped her mouth made his heart clench.

She tried not to limp; not knowing what would happen to her if she did. She ignored the searing pain in between her legs as she moved with him.

Aro stood by the exit door and waited for them. He smiled and spoke, "Well Mr. Masen. I hope you enjoy yourself." He eyed her hungrily. "And remember. If you are unhappy, you may return her."

The bronze haired man glared at Aro. "I am not pleased Aro."

Aro's grin fell. He flashed his ice blue eyes to Bella's face. "Has she disobeyed you already?" He asked angrily; his hand twitching to raise up and slap her across the face.

"No." The bronzed man growled as he pulled her by the wrist so that she was besides him instead of behind. "I spent a lot of money on _her_." He spat like she was a disease. "And she's already damaged." His pale head shook from side to side as he scoffed. "If I use her before she's healed she'd die and I'd have to by another."

"I'm…terribly sorry Mr. Masen. To compensate, I will put together something for you…toys that the others _loved_ to use with her."

The bronzed man nodded his head with pursed lips. "I want that done soon." With that he pulled her out of the doors. The alley was dark. He led her out and down the cold street. Her bare feet made contact with the hard cement sidewalk of downtown Seattle.

She didn't have any shoes.

He stopped when he reached his car. He opened her door. "Get in." his voice was hard and she flinched as she lowered herself into the car.

She winced as she sat down. It hurt. He got into the car and started the engine. He drove off quickly. She stared at the Seattle skyline and she suddenly remembered. She had left her book. Now she really did have nothing. She had no belongings. She had no love. She had no more tears left to cry.

She had no freedom.

**This happens more than you would ever possibly want to know.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you all for your favorites and words of encouragement.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

He pulled into his driveway quickly. The entire ride up to his brownstone her body had been shaking uncontrollably. She would whimper in pain whenever the car jerked too much. He didn't even want to imagine what kind of shape her body would be in.

He got out and slammed his door. She jumped and looked up at the large house in front of her. The fact that she knew that for the rest of her life she would be tortured with no hope of escape because someone had bought her, made her dead heart sink lower and lower into the pit of her stomach. She hadn't noticed that he had made his way to her door. He opened it and let her out. He held his hand out for her, only to have her jerk away in fear.

He hated the way she flinched when he was about to touch her. But it was her sobbing that broke him. He hated seeing women cry.

He persisted; eventually getting hold of her wrist. He held her wrist lightly as he walked up the stairs that led to his front door. He opened the door and led her inside.

He seated her on the couch in his living room and sat on the coffee table in front of her. He spoke then. "How old are you?" he aksed.

She paused. His question perplexed her. "17, Sir." She stuttered out after a second.

"Shit." He whispered as he brought his hand up to rub his chin. He could tell that she was young but not _that _young. He didn't know all of the inner workings of Aro's business but he knew that it was sadistic and depraved.

But he was glad that he had gotten her out of there. He looked at her thoughtfully. She was looking down at her hands. He had barely even seen the color of her eyes…just flashes of molten brown every so often when she would risk punishment to look up at him. She was always looking down.

"My name is Edward Cullen." He spoke as he reached forward to tilt her head up. She flinched but let him take hold of her chin. He tilted her head upwards so that she would look at him. He paused for a second, letting the depth of her brown eyes consume him.

They were startling. They held years of pain and sorrow. They held knowledge though. They were wise and experienced. They were not the eyes of a 17 year old.

He saw the confusion in her eyes. She had forgotten what his name was, but she was certain that _that_ wasn't what he said it was.

"I'm an agent in the FBI." He tilted his head to the side as he studied her reaction.

"W-What do you want from me then?" her voice shook with fear and confusion. He was certain that he heard hope in her voice. Aro and the _others_ had always said that the police would never find out about Volterra…no one would ever come to save her. The fact that he was from the FBI made her hope that maybe the other girls there could be saved.

"Nothing." His eyebrows came together. "I just couldn't leave you there." He spoke quietly. She waited for him to continue. "I've been working on this case for over a year now, trying to build as much evidence as possible against Aro Volturi. When I saw what was happening there, I knew I was close to getting him convicted."  
"Of what?" her voice was small.

"Soliciting prostitution, rape, murder, slavery, kidnapping." He listed the charges off. She figited with the hem of her dress and bit her lip. She looked up at him and then away. He understood what was wrong. "You don't need my permission to speak." He spoke quietly. She looked at him skeptically. He clenched his jaw. "If you want my permission, you have it." His voice was a sad whisper.

She swallowed thickly. "Why am I here?" she whispered.

He took a deep breath. "I couldn't leave you there. I saw you and I couldn't bear the thought you having to go through any more torture. I'm not sure if we have enough evidence to get Volturi convicted and if we did, I wouldn't want you to have to sit through his trial and testify against him. I knew that it might possibly take years for the trial and in the mean time you would be locked away because he would try to have people hurt you…more." He tacked on the last part because he knew that people were always hurting her. "I just couldn't stand the thought of you going through that." He whispered.

She wrapped a stray piece of string hanging from the hem of her dress around her finger; pulling it tight before unwinding it. Angry red marks surrounded her deathly pale finger. She tugged on the string; evenutually pulling atleast an inch more off of her dress.

She hated the dress and she was slowly destroying it.

He watched her for a moment before continuing. "I'm going to help you." He stated. "I'm going to find your family." He reached his hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear but she flinched. He pulled his hand away with a sigh and settled for caressing her fingers. "I'm going to teach you that not everyone wants to hurt you."

She looked at him with a bewildered expression. She didn't know what to think of his revelation.

His eyes suddenly darkened. She gulped in fear, thinking that she was stupid for getting her hopes up. She braced herself; certain that he was going to hurt her but his next words confused her. "What happened to you in that room this afternoon?" she wondered why he was asking her this. It was as if he actually cared.

She shook her head and looked away from his probing green eyes. She felt a lump in her throat and she swallowed against it.

"Who hurt you Bella?"

Her eyes flew back to his face. She began to cry then. Large round tears rolled down her cheeks; falling too quickly for her to wipe them away. Her parents had called her Bella. She had always hated Isabella. She decided to tell him. "J-Jacob Black." She whispered. "His name was Jacob Black, Sir." She repeated. She wiped at her tears messily.

He let his large hands wrap around her shoulder and her small waist. He gently lifted her so that she could take comfort from his presence as he held her silently. She shook against him; thinking that he was going to hit her. _He_ had always hit her for no reason. "Are you sure?" Edward asked her incredulously.

She was confused by his disbelieving tone and the fact that he didn't hit her. She nodded. "Yes, Sir."

He held her tighter. "Don't worry. I'll protect you from him."

"Why?"

"Because I care." Was his simple reply.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't know." He answered her honestly. He had no idea why he was putting his career on the line for her. If anyone from the bureau ever found out that he had bought her; that he risked the investigation; that he risked compromising himself and his undercover alias; he would lose his job for sure.

He was positive that he would probably end up in federal prison. Other than having it covered up, he didn't know what to do. He knew that he could always lie about his reasons for buying her…say that he needed a witness.

She heard his heart thundering loudly. "You know him, don't you Sir." She surmised.

Edward chuckled darkly. "I work with him."

Her shivering stopped suddenly and she froze. "Don't worry Bella." He whispered into her hair. He needed to distract her. "Would you like to take a bath? I have a really big tub." He said with a smile.

Her shaking abruptly begun again. "P-please don't…" she begged as she pushed her fists against his chest. He held her tighter so she wouldn't be able to hurt herself in her struggle to escape him.

He held her away from his body so that he could look at her. "Don't what?" he asked.

Her eyes held tears as she drifted off; lost in one of her horrible memories.

She felt someone holding her and she fought against their strong grip. She was tired.

Tired of the pain; the tears; the sadness. She was just tired of everything. She was tired of life. She knew it wasn't fair. She knew that she had done nothing to deserve what had happened to her.

She heard someone shushing her. She faintly registered his words. It was his voice that calmed her down. It was smooth and soft, yet deep and strong.

Her struggles ceased and she collapsed against his hard chest, completely exhausted and thoroughly defeated. "Please don't make me take a bath." She whimpered desperately.

"What did he do to you?" he said this mostly to himself. She began crying because she didn't want to remember. She wanted to forget. Edward shushed her. He was trying his best to placate her tormented mind. "Its okay, Bella. You're safe with me, do you understand?"

"Yes Sir." She said through her sniffles.

He sighed. "Call me Edward…if you want."

She looked up at him from her place on his lap. He hadn't realized what his words meant to her. He had just given her a choice. She had not had the right to make her own choices in years. Something so simple made her heart ache with gratitude. He didn't even know that his small suggestion was so significant to her.

"Thank you…Edward." She said quietly.

He felt his heart increase in pace after he heard her say his name for the first time. "Why are you thanking me?" he asked as his brain actually registered what she had said before whispering his name.

"You gave me a choice." She buried her face in his chest, listening to his heart thump loudly. "You said that I could call you by your name…if I wanted to."

He looked at her shivering form and realized that he had given her something that she hadn't had in a really long time. He knew then that he had to find out more about her if he were to ever be able to locate her family. He had to know her full name, her date of birth. He had to know where she was from originally. He had to know when she was taken.

She sighed softly as her tears finally stopped and her sobbing and hiccupping quieted. He reached his right hand up to her face and cupped it softly. She had turned her head away slightly instead of flinching. Her skin was so smooth beneath his touch. He longed to feel it everywhere but knew that his desires would never be answered.

Her eyes flew open and they held panic. "P-please don't…" she said again.

His eyes widened. He slid his hand upward so that his fingers were in her soft silky hair and so that his thumb was rubbing soothing circles on her temple. "Bella…shhh." He cooed at her and rocked her back and forth. "I'm not going to hurt you." He tried to reassure her.

He looked into her eyes and saw the familiar faraway look in them. He knew that she was getting lost in one of her memories again. He couldn't let that happen. He had seen how much pain she had been in after a different memory had pulled her into the darkness.

"Tell me what's wrong." He whispered. He kissed her forehead softly. He fluttered kissed all over her face. Her skin was clammy and sticky. She had broken out into a cold sweat and he hated himself for triggering this reaction.

"H-He used to touch me here." She brought her left hand up and cupped the spot on her face where Edward had touched. "Then…then he would slap me." She turned her face into Edward's grey suit and let it soak up the tears that had begun to descend down the pale flesh of her cheeks. She continued then. "I-I just thought that you…you were going to hit me too." Her voice was a whisper by the time she finished.

He shook his head softly. His lips were still firmly planted on her forehead. "I would never hurt you Bella. You have to believe me. You have to trust me." His voice was pleading.

"I can't." she said weakly.

"Why not?"

She shook her head. "I-I don't know. I just…can't." Her voice was nothing but a quiet broken whisper. The pain it held tore him apart.

**A/N: Yes, I know. It's not exactly what you were expecting. I know that I probably just lost a shitload of readers because this story isn't a Darkward story. Sorry folks. It's just the way I want it to be.**

**Please Review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The picture of pain and sadness I paint shouldn't be recognized as just that…a picture…This is real life…this is the city of Seattle, Chicago, New York. Do not be fooled by the safe front your community puts up. This is real…not just one of my severely fucked up imaginings. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

"It's okay that you don't trust me. I want to earn your trust though." He looked at her with his neon green eyes. She saw sincerity in them.

She nodded her head; telling him that she had heard. "Would you prefer a shower?" he asked her. He saw the way she kept shifting in discomfort as she tried to pull her short black dress down over her knees. Again she nodded her head. "Alright then." He said.

He lifted her up and she gasped at the abruptness. He walked down the hallway near the living room. She grabbed onto the tops of his arms, so she would have something to hold onto, in case he lost his hold on her. His shoulders were muscled and hard, just like the rest of him. She knew then that he was too strong to lose his hold on her. He held her as if she weighed nothing.

"I could walk if you want." She told him.

He scoffed. He knew what Jacob did to her. What he didn't know was how and why she was hiding the excruciating pain she was in. He thought that either she had a high threshold for pain or this wasn't the worse thing to happen to her. His gut told him to believe the latter, so he did.

"I don't think so." He looked down at her as he walked up the stairs at the end of the hallway and climbed them quickly.

The beauty of her face captivated him. She had a heart shaped face with high, wide cheekbones and a pointed chin. The widow's peak that shaped her hairline accentuated her delicate features; making her dark hair frame her pale face in such a manner that she looked almost ethereal.

He could see why so many men desired her so much. But he wasn't justifying their cruel actions.

He knew that they first looked at her face. It just had a pull that they probably couldn't resist. He knew that he couldn't resist it. They didn't even have to look at her body to know that they wanted her intensely.

He glared at the bruises and cuts on her face. He would make sure that her face would never be marred by such marks ever again.

When he reached the top he turned the corner and walked the short hallway to his bedroom.

Once inside, walked to the corner and pushed the door to the bathroom open. He flicked on the light and set her on the edge of the sink.

"Why are you hiding how much pain you are in?" he asked her as he turned around and headed for his closet. She looked down at her fingers; wondering why he cared. He was in front of her again. He put his index finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up, so that she would meet his eyes. "If you tell me or show me, I'll know how much I need to take care of you." He whispered to her. He was afraid that if he spoke out loud his voice would frighten her.

In truth, his voice soothed her. It was gentle yet strong. Its deep baritone and alto pitch matched the masculinity that exuded out of his every pore. She saw that he wasn't lying to her. He really did want to help her. "I'm sorry."

He smiled sadly at her. "Please don't apologize." She stared into his green eyes. Again, he didn't know what his words signified to her. He didn't just order her to stop apologizing to him. He had asked her.

She nodded her head; telling him that she would stop.

"I need you to tell me where it hurts, Bella." As he spoke, the finger that was beneath her chin began to trace the outlines and contours of her face. A strange electrical current flowed through and around them. It connected them. It also confused her.

The rough pad of his finger continued its journey around her face. "Everywhere." She replied to his request. "It hurts everywhere."

He cupped her face with his hand. But this time she didn't flinch away. She leaned into his touch because it brought her comfort. No one had brought her comfort or taken her well being into consideration for a very long time.

He looked at her with sad eyes. She didn't understand why he was sad. It wasn't like he was in pain. But she didn't know that he felt that her pain was his pain.

He didn't understand that feeling. It was foreign and strange. It was like coming home one day and discovering that everything you owned had been moved to a different place. It was eerie and bizarre, and you couldn't help the burning curiosity inside of you.

"Here." He handed her a white dress shirt. "I don't really have girl clothes that would fit you but I could find something else if you'd like." Yet again, he asked her to do something. He didn't tell her. The tone of his voice suggested that if she said that she didn't want to wear it; he would gladly go find her something else. The gratitude in her, continued to grow.

His words still left her wondering about why he had girl clothes. A girlfriend maybe? A sister perhaps?

She nodded and gratefully took the shirt from him. The fabric was slightly cold yet a warm feeling spread through her as she clutched it in her small hands.

He looked around awkwardly and ran his left hand through his hair roughly. Now she understood why it stood straight up with absolutely no order to it. "Well…I'll leave you to it then." He gave her a crooked grin before turning around and leaving.

He went down to the kitchen. He decided that he should probably cook her something because she was probably hungry.

He decided to make her spaghetti.

**OoO**

She climbed into the waterfall like shower. It drenched her completely. She spotted some body wash in the little metal basket that hung from the shower head. Reaching up on her tip toes she just barely managed to reach it. She squirted some into her palm and washed her body.

She winced when she touched in between her legs. She was really sore. The burning water cascading down her raw flesh made it worse, so she removed her hand and put some more body wash in it.

She massaged her scalp with the soapy suds before rinsing it out. She stood under the spray and tilted her head up so that the water pummeled her face repeatedly.

It was soothing to her…the repetitive motion. It would always be there. It would always be the same. It would never change.

She was tired of change. She was tired of uncertainty. She was tired of not knowing who was going to violate her that day and how much damage they would cause to her; emotionally and physically. She was just tired.

**OoO**

He watched the steam rise from the plate of spaghetti he had prepared for her. The plain white plate sat on the countertop near the stove. He tapped his foot; his shiny black shoes made a clicking noise every time it made contact with the floor.

He wondered where she was. He had heard the shower turn of over a half of an hour earlier. He briefly wondered if she had run away. He didn't think it was necessary. She was free to leave if she wished.

But deep down he knew that he would go after her as soon as her toes touched the porch outside of his doorstep. He couldn't bear the thought of her being out in the world alone with no one to protect her.

He sighed and walked out of the kitchen. He made a right and walked to the base of the staircase. He paused. He didn't hear any movement coming from the floor above him. He ascended the stairs and walked to his bedroom. He pushed it open and his heart broke at his discovery.

Bella was lying down on his bed. Her entire body was turned the opposite way; as if she just fell asleep as soon as her body touched the bed. Her head was towards the foot of the bed, whiles her small feet were buried underneath his pillows. She clutched one of his pillows to her body; hugging it as if it were a person.

She looked even smaller and more fragile in his large shirt. Her pale skin was starkly contrasted against his black cotton sheets. Her mahogany brown hair was spread across his bed sheet.

He walked into the room then, evaluating everything. It was-after all-his job to evaluate everything.

Her towel was lying on the floor between the bathroom and his bed. It was as if the exhaustion had overtaken her, causing her to just shut down and seek the comfort of his bed.

He walked to the edge of the bed. She was curled into the fetal position suggesting that she was protecting herself from something. But the way she was desperately clutching his pillow to her chest caused an ache inside of him to build. It didn't come from one place. It was from everywhere. A low throbbing pain seared inside of him.

The way she was holding the pillow suggested that she was ready to fall apart. It told him that she wouldn't be able to go on by herself any longer. It told him that she needed someone to hold onto. She needed someone to hold her. She needed someone to protect her.

**OoO**

When she had gotten out of the shower she carefully dried herself off. She ran the towel through her hair until it was only damp. She slipped his white shirt on; wearing nothing underneath. She didn't have anything.

Walking out into his room, she realized that she didn't know what to do next. He hadn't told her what to do. She didn't want to do something that would trigger his anger so she just stood outside the bathroom door. She bit her lip and looked at the bedroom door with wide unsure eyes.

She was exhausted with the day's events. She desired sleep…badly.

She looked at his bed. It was large and it looked comfortable. She found herself slowly inching towards it. There was a little voice screaming at her from inside her head. It told her that she was making a mistake. It told her that she would get into trouble…that he would hurt her.

She didn't listen. The towel she had been holding slipped out of her fingers and landed on the carpet with a soft thud. She walked to the edge of the bed and just stared at it. Slowly-after having build up the courage-she lifted her right leg and placed her knee on the bed. She pushed herself up and rolled on her side.

Her body was sore and aching but as she slowly relaxed into the extremely soft bed the pain diminished. It left her tired and her eyelids drooped slightly. She reached towards the head of his bed and pulled at one of his pillows until it was at her side.

It was cold and soft and it smelled of apples and sugar. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. She teetered between consciousness and unconsciousness. She laid in a trancelike state.

She heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. Her breathing hitched. She urged her muscles to move but they wouldn't. She was too tired…to worn out…and in too much pain. She didn't want him to punish her. She knew that he would if he found her in his bed. Her body was just too tired to move.

She heard it as he grasped the handle and turned it. She heard the loud click of the door unlocking. She heard the air whooshing as he flung the door open. She heard his quiet breaths as he just stood there. She didn't know how many minutes had passed before she heard the swishing of his khaki pants as his legs moved; carrying him towards her.

She heard him pause beside her. She felt his gaze on her. She felt his hands on her. She felt the fear as it began to pump through her veins.

She felt him as he tucked his right arm under her knees and wrap his left arm around her back. He easily lifted her into the air. She whimpered tiredly, "P-please don't." She heard him shushing her as small sobs escaped her strawberry red lips. "I-I'm sorry. Just please don't hurt me." An unstoppable memory rushed towards her. It collided with her and her soft sobs gradually became louder and more pleading.

_She was sleeping. The darkness of her eyelids was her only sanctuary. Her subconscious faintly registered the sound of her door opening. She barely felt it as he picked her up. _

_She was suddenly awake when she felt the air whooshing around her. Her body collided with the wall and she fell to the floor. She cried out as she landed on her wrist. A loud crack was heard before she cradled her arm to her body and sobbed silently._

"_Time to play Isabella." He sneered at her. He saw her holding her wrist and an idea suddenly came to him. He leaned over as he stood over her. She was cowering against the wall, biting her lip to keep herself from sobbing._

_He grabbed her wrist then. She began to let out a scream of terror and pain but he pushed the palm of his free hand against her mouth._

"_Ah ah ah…" he singsonged. "If you make a noise, I'll punish you." His eyes darkened as he began to think of the possibilities. She saw the contemplative look in his eyes and she shivered in fear as he released her face._

_He squeezed her wrist slightly; increasing the pressure as he saw her walls crumbling. A faint whimper escaped her lips before she could stop herself. But that wasn't enough. He wanted her to scream._

_With all of his might, he crushed her wrist in his hand. A glass shattering scream erupted from her as the searing pain shot through her. He grinned evilly at her obvious pain._

Edward's heart continued to break at her words and pleas. He couldn't help the angered curiosity as it flooded through him. He didn't know how he would be able to go back to work with Jacob there. He was certain that he would tear him apart—ripping him limb from limb—if he ever saw him again.

He walked around the bed and placed her on the other side. Her head immediately sunk into his pillows.

She felt confused. She had done something without his permission. She was certain that he would have punished her in some way. But he didn't. Instead, she felt his hands caressing her face; wiping away her tears. "Shhh Bella." He whispered. "I will _never_ hurt you." She heard the ferocity in his words as he willed her to believe him.

He stayed with her; caressing her face and whispering comforting words to her. When her sobs quieted she felt him place a soft kiss on her cheek. She sighed at the contact and drifted off. The last sound she heard was his voice as he whispered, "Sleep well sweet girl."

**A/N: Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Please remember to continue reviewing. Even small one word reviews are precious to me. I just want to know that I am making my message clear.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

_The last sound she heard was his voice as he whispered, "Sleep well sweet girl."_

She did not in fact sleep well. As soon as her subconscious sensed that Edward had left the room, the nightmares came. They were dark and brutal. Her memories of Jacob's actions seemed even more disturbing in the dark light of her nightmares. The way his eyes flashed with lust and desire every time he looked at her had never made her more frightened than in her nightmares.

She knew that he was not normal. She knew that there was something wrong with him. He was sadistic and sick. His actions were disgusting and just purely torturous. The only word she could use to describe him was evil. There was just nothing else strong enough that her mind could come up with.

She woke with a start. Her body launched itself upward until she was in the sitting position. Her chest heaved up and down as she tried to suppress the memory of a particularly horrifying 'punishment' she had to go through. She knew it wasn't her fault.

The men that had hurt her had broken her…humiliated her…made her believe that she was disgusting and tainted. But they could never make her believe that it was her own fault. Her hair stuck to her face as she practically drowned in her own sweat. She felt herself cooling down. The air conditioning quickened the process.

She took in her surroundings and all of the events in the past day suddenly came crashing down on her. The weight of it all sat on her chest and she once again struggled to breathe.

Jacob had been especially brutal that afternoon. She moved about; flipping the soft cotton sheet over her body so that she could free her legs. She felt the stiffness in her muscles. She felt the soreness in her face. She felt the rawness of the sensitive flesh in between her legs.

She stood up; her feet made contact with the plush carpeting on the floor. She took a step towards the bedroom door. The gut-wrenching pain along with her unsureness made her freeze in place. She bit back a scream of pain. She breathed deeply to calm her thundering heart.

She had no idea what she was supposed to do. He hadn't told her what she was supposed to do when she woke up. She was afraid that she would do something wrong. She was afraid that he would punish her. She was afraid that he would give her back instead of keeping the promise he made to help her.

She took another step forward and winced as the pain rattled through her bones. She began to shake uncontrollably. She took another step forward and bit down on her tongue. She tasted blood. It reminded her of_ him_. She held in a loud sob as she continued to move forward. The metallic taste lingered in her mouth and she felt like vomiting.

Her legs shook as she continued her slow movements to the door. _Maybe Edward would be able to help me_, she thought. She hoped that he would have something for the excruciating pain in between her legs.

_Or maybe he'll punish you._ Her inner voice was once again interfering with her decision making process. It made her unsure and uneasy. It made her second guess her actions. But she continued to move forward. Determination coursed through her. She just _had_ to prove her inner monologue wrong.

She finally reached the door. It was slightly ajar and she could see that he had left the hall light on. She took a deep breath and continued her slow actions through his house. She saw pictures hanging on the walls but she was too distracted by the pain to pay attention to them. She noticed that his house was homey. It made her feel warm and safe. The various deep autumn colors radiated warmth and comfort.

The dark reddish brown furniture was old but very well cared for. She could tell. They had spindly carvings of leaves and vines that ran up the legs that held them up. They were ornately carved with seemingly obsessive perfection. They were beautiful.

She continued down the short hallway; alternating between biting her tongue and biting her lip to keep from breaking down. The pain was overbearing. She continually tasted blood in her mouth. It was nauseating to say the least. It made her dizzy as wave after wave of memories bombarded her. But she tried not to let it deter her. She had to bear the pain if she wanted something that will ease it.

The thought never occurred to her that she could just call out to him; for him. She was taught—from the very beginning of her 'training'—that she should never speak unless told otherwise. But her naturally rebellious and independent teenaged mind had caused her to endure more than a few horrifying 'punishments' because of her disobedience. Her attempts at escape had never worked. Eventually the _others_ had broken her too much. She was too submissive to even try to hope for freedom.

She saw a light coming from an opened door on the right side of the hallway. She assumed he would be there. She resumed her movements; she had stopped because she feared that she would scream as the pain pushed her farther and farther away. It pushed her away from her recovery. It pushed her away from peace.

It pushed her away from the freedom she so desperately desired.

She walked slowly to the door. She reached her right hand out and her nails gripped onto the door post. She felt the soft wood give way beneath her fingers. She saw little fragments of wood fall to the ground with a silent wisp as it hit the hardwood floor. She was certain that he would be angry with her for ruining his door post. She gasped as she pulled herself the final step. Glad that she could rest for a second, she looked up in search of him.

She saw him sitting at a large cherry wood desk. He was looking down at a beige folder and reading its contents with rapt attention. His pale hand was a stark contrast to the mess of bronze hair on his head as he continued to torture it with his fingers.

She shifted so that she was standing directly in the doorway. The movement caused a fresh wave of pain to flood through her. She whimpered that the overwhelming feeling.

His head snapped up suddenly and he looked at her with electric green eyes. They were suddenly filled with rage and concern for her. A trail of blood had leaked from her mouth and down her chin. Her eyes were red from her salty tears.

She felt the fear as it flooded through her system. She backed up slightly as he stood up suddenly and spoke loudly. "Did you just _walk_ here?" his words were accusing and incredulous.

"I-I'm sorry." She whimpered and cowered away from him. She saw his face immediately soften. He realized that he had just let his control slip. He couldn't let it happen again. He saw what it reduced her to and he hated it.

"Please don't apologize." His voice was pleading. He walked over to her and stood before her. She nodded her head, still looking down. He reached his hand forward to tilt her head upward so that she would look him in the eye. He saw her try to repress a flinch. Her body didn't twitch like it usually did. But her eyes closed and she turned her head away from him slightly.

He retracted his hand but he bent down so that he was at eye level with her. "Bella." He called. "Please look at me." He went on after she didn't respond. "I'm sorry for yelling." She turned her head to look at him and saw truth and regret for his actions in his eyes. "Do you forgive me?" his voice was unsure. No one had ever asked for her forgiveness before. No one had ever apologized to her before. She nodded her head; not wanting to ruin the groundbreaking moment by stuttering out a reply.

His smile was heart-breaking and beautiful. His liquid paper white teeth sparkled as his lips stretched into a crooked grin. She felt her heart thundering in her chest and she was certain that he could hear it too.

Carefully and without making any sudden movements, he placed his hand against the bruise on her cheek. He stretched his thumb out and wiped away the blood dripping from her lip.

When he finished, he folded his right arm around her legs and wrapped his left arm around her back. He lifted her up easily and she gasped as she felt the strength his body possessed. He spoke then, "Would you like to eat something?"

She suddenly felt starved. "Yes please." Her voice was small and unsure. She didn't know if he was playing a joke on her. She didn't want to sound too eager. The part of her that was used to the lies and pain thought that he would just keep it away from her to torture her if she was too eager for it. Jacob had done it all the time.

One of his favorites was not letting her use the bathroom for days. It was painful to even sit down because her bladder felt as if it was going to explode. He would press down on her stomach and threaten her that if she released her bladder he would rape her until she bled. He would deny her food and water too. He loved it when he would see her growing weaker and weaker by the day.

If she begged for the bathroom or food and water; he would just hold it back from her longer.

Her unsureness disappeared when Edward smiled his beautiful smile at her. He carried her to the stairs and began his decent. "I can walk if you want." Her voice made him pause mid-step. He looked down at her with fierce eyes and suddenly she was afraid that he would throw her down the stairs. She clutched his shirt in her hands so that it would be more difficult for him to throw her.

He shook his head. "You are not going to be walking for a very long time Bella." She felt tears building up in her eyes. He had commanded her, he hadn't asked her. She felt herself doubting who he was; who he claimed to be.

He saw every single emotion that crossed her face and the deep dark abyss of her bottomless brown eyes. He saw the fear and the doubt. She doubted him. He felt his heart sink at his realization. "Please don't cry Bella." He pleaded with her as he resumed his movements down the stairs. "I can see how much pain you are in when you walk. I just want what's best for you." He looked down at her again as he walked down the hallway to the kitchen. "And what's best for you is letting your body heal first. Then we can work on your mind."

His face was utterly serious. She could see the concern etched into his angular features. She nodded her head. "I'm sorry." She said in the same small and unsure voice.

He sighed heavily as he set her on the kitchen counter. The granite was cold beneath her skin. He leaned his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes. "Please don't apologize. You have done nothing that warrants an apology. I actually find it hard to believe that you will ever do something that requires an apology." She saw that he believed the words he was saying. She nodded her head; acquiescing to his request.

He smiled crookedly at her before he picked her up again and settled her on one of the bar stools that surrounded the kitchen island. "What would you like to eat?" he asked.

She smelled the permeating scent of spaghetti. She knew he had made that for her; she was confused. She wondered why he would ask her what she wanted even though he clearly had just made spaghetti.

He wanted her to make a choice. He was pushing her towards recovery. Slowly but surely, he knew that he was helping her by letting her decide.

"Scrambled eggs and a cup of tea please." She stated her request as she awkwardly played with her fingers. When she looked up at him she was shocked. She was certain that the grin he was wearing would split his face in half.

He turned towards the fridge and said, "Okay." She watched him as he worked. She was in awe of his grace. She was a very clumsy girl.

She studied his face. He had strong masculine features. His nose was perfectly straight. His eyes were a strange bright shade of green. They were fringed by thick black lashes. His eyebrows were broad and thick.

She smiled to herself. She hated it when men spent and exorbitant amount of money on keeping their appearance pristine. She found it strange and a little awkward when men spent more money on their own hygiene then she did.

At the house, she was allowed one razor and bottle of shaving cream a month. She was supposed to keep all parts of her body bare. She was only allowed one bottle of shampoo and conditioner a month as well. She had one hair brush and one tooth brush. It really was like a prison.

He had full pink lips. They looked soft and inviting. She had never thought that about anyone else. Jacob had always forced her to kiss him but she always felt like vomiting as she did so.

She began to wonder about the man in front of her. Working up her courage she said, "How old are you?"

He turned around and smiled. "19." Her eyebrows shot up and he saw the surprise in her face. He chuckled lowly. "I graduated high school early. Then I went to the academy and I graduated from their early too."

He turned around with a smile on his face when he heard the eggs beginning to sizzle in the pan. She was moving forward. She had asked him a question. He felt that it was a monumental step forward. Then he heard her soft and sweet voice, "I graduated high school early too." His smile fell knowing what was coming. He turned around and made his way to her.

He held her in his arms. He begged her to return to him, but she wouldn't. She was too lost in the memory of the day she was taken.

**A/N: Okay…no questions about Edward's young age. That's a major part of the plot line so...well…zip it about that, m'kay?**

**I love you all.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: You have no idea how much I appreciate those who review. You guys are awesome and if I could give you FedWard naked with a bow tied around his…thingy…I would.**

**To all of you who don't review? You'd get some random bald guy with a birdie nose who's hangin' limp and to the left…no bow.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

The memory was something that always played in the back of her mind. She continually wondered what would have happened if she had fought harder. She wished that she had told someone about _him_. He was so suspicious in his actions and his words. She thought that maybe she would still have everything she held dearly to her heart if she had just _warned_ them.

She knew that it wasn't her fault. She knew that she was too young to have been able to fight him. She was too young and too small. She was too weak. She hated being weak. She hated it when someone had power over her. She hated it with a passion.

But her inner monologue was ranting loudly. The sound of her inner self's voice was trapped inside of her head. It was screaming about how she would end up getting hurt because she kept on letting the past overtake her. She kept letting the memories possess and conquer her. Her inner monologue was basically telling her to 'suck it up'.

But she didn't want to. She wanted to cry at the unfairness of it all. She wanted to scream and destroy everything around her in a fit of rage. She was angry. She felt the burning emotion inside of her. But she wasn't willing to release it yet.

She wanted it to build up. She wanted it to grow and grow and grow because she knew for a fact that she was strongest when she was angry. When she finally exploded she would annihilate everyone around her. She knew this because it had happened before many times.

Ever since she was a little girl her parents would fight and fight and fight. The anger she held because of the unfairness of it all would eventually explode. She would scream and yell and tell them that they were acting like children.

They would realize what they were doing and immediately stop. They knew better than to hurt their child with their bickering.

Other than the occasional confrontation, they were happily married and extremely in love. She missed them terribly. The first night…the night she was taken, she had allowed herself to cry for them. She got all of the feelings of the sorrow and loss out of her system before she practically turned into a zombie.

She felt the urge to weep bombard her. She didn't want to cry anymore. But she knew that she had to. She knew that she had to get it out or she would end up hurting herself more in the long run. She knew that if she kept the sadness and anger inside she would be ruining all of Edward's efforts to help her. She didn't want that. She wanted to be better.

She felt someone wrap their warm and strong arms around her. She felt his voice resonate through her thoughts. It caused a ripple through the memory. It made it murky and blurry. Slowly but surely she returned to him with tears in her eyes and sobs ready to burst from her throat.

He rocked her back and forth, repeating the same question. "What happened to you?"

The dam burst and she released her tears. She grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and began to sob out her sad story. "I-I used to work at a bookstore. There was always this man that came in. He would sit in the corner and stare at me. I-I didn't think anything of it." She sniffled and took a deep breath. A loud sob escaped her chest and she held onto him as if her life depended on it.

"You don't have to do this." He whispered into her hair.

She went on as if she didn't hear him. "It was the end of my senior year in high school. I graduated when I was 15. My best friend…she took me shopping as a present." She gasped and sniffled again. She paused and then swallowed thickly. "When I got home…I smelled the blood." Another sob broke free. He listened on; hoping for some answers; praying that one day she'll be happy and live without the weight of these memories sitting on her shoulders.

"M-my parents were…dead. He killed them." Her voice was incredulous. "He was still there." She paused. "He put something over my mouth. It smelled weird. Then everything went dark." She whispered the last part before she broke down again. She grabbed onto his shoulders. For those few moments she let herself believe that Edward would save her. She let herself believe that the muscles beneath his thin white t-shirt were built to fight away her nightmares.

His arms were wrapped securely around her as he folded his own body over hers. It was as if he was trying to shield her from the memories; from the world. He heard her sobs quiet so he pulled away from her slowly.

He heard her whimper in protest. She desperately wanted his comfort and he knew this. But he had to make sure she was alright first. "Bella." He called out to her. "Bella please listen to me." He begged her. But her sobs once again grew louder and more heart-wrenching to listen to. He growled angrily. He was _so _frustrated with himself. He hated that he couldn't even calm her down.

Bella thought that she had angered him. Her fears grew when he suddenly lifted her into the air. "P-please don't hurt me. I-I'm sorry. I'll be good, just p-please." She collapsed against his chest and continued her crying.

"I'm _not_ going to hurt you Bella." He tried to reassure her, but she wouldn't listen. She pushed at his chest; wanting him to let go of her; wanting him to hold her closer. She wanted him to pull her body to his and wrap his arms around her possessively. She never thought that she would want that in her entire life. Her salty tears stung the open cut on her cheekbone.

She wanted him to hold her body to his protectively; like he would take on the world to protect her; like he would shield her forever.

He had no idea what he should do. Then he remembered something he used to do for his sister. After her best friend disappeared a few years earlier she had broken down. She was depressed and when the depression exploded in waves of sadness he would play his piano for her.

He walked out of the kitchen then; the barely scrambled eggs sat in the pan turning ice cold above the flameless stove. He exited the kitchen and made a left, walking down the short hall to his living room. He sat her crying and sobbing form across his lap after he sat down on the piano bench. Her body leaned against his as she tried to hold in her sobs.

They came out in little whimpers and sniffles whiles her body shook against his. He settled his hands on the piano keys and began to tap out a strange and soothing melody. He let it flow from his mind without the interruptions of a hesitation or bouts of unsureness.

It was raw and emotional; it was unedited and freeing. It was him. Her cries died down slightly as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She listened to the beautiful melody. It was fast then slow. It was complicated with multiple crescendos and diminuendos. It was simple because of the repetitiveness.

She could tell that the song was coming to an end. She didn't want him to stop. The melody was light and twinkling. It slowed to a pause before becoming a strong yet withering beat. It ended almost sadly and reluctantly.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. "I'm sorry for all the things you had to endure. But I hope you know that I'm not going to give up on you. I'm going to save you Bella." His words were fierce and determined.

He continued to feel her shivering and shaking against him. He needed to distract her. "What was your best friend like?"

He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her body to his. His thumb rubbed soothing circles on her shoulders; slowly working out the tension they held. She bit back a groan as she felt her body relaxing into his even more.

She knew what he was doing, but she responded hoping that it would help her. She let out a small chuckle despite her obvious despair. "She was hyper and fun…and…she was just always there for me. She was so proud of me when I graduated. She was so tiny too." She let out a laugh. "I always wondered where she kept all of her energy." She paused. "She was two years older than me but she treated me like her equal." She sniffled and held onto him. "I miss her." she whispered. She looked up at him. His face was pensive.

He suddenly felt a wave of de ja vu. He felt like her story was familiar…too familiar.

He let go of her briefly and grabbed his music book. He flipped it open and tore through the pages hurriedly. He came to a blank page. On the left side he listed a few things: Name, Birthday, Home Town…and more things like that. He handed the notebook to her along with a pencil. "Bella, could you tell me these things…write them down…it'll be easier."

She nodded her head and wondered why he was acting so strange. He peered over her shoulder as she placed the tip of the pencil on the first line besides 'Name:'

He watched as she spelled out Isabella. He held his breath as she continued. She wrote down her middle name, Marie.

"No." he whispered.

She continued on and spelled out Swan. His breathing became heavier as she continued to the next line. 'Birthday:'

She wrote: September 18, 1992. He gasped and his heart began to thump out rhythm-less erratic beats. She went to the next line and began to spell out 'Forks'. Edward grabbed her wrist and stopped her from continuing. "Bella?" he looked at her with fierce eyes. Her features were quizzical. She wondered why he was behaving so strangely.

"Yes Edward?" her eyebrows knitted together in wonder at the strange man in front of her.

"What was her name?"

"Whose name?"

He took a deep breath. "Your best friend. What was her name?" his curiosity was taking over his mind.

"Alice." She said. His body stiffened and he stared at her. His mouth was gaping and he was speechless.

"Shit." He whispered as he fumbled around slightly as he looked for his cell phone. He pulled his phone from one of the pockets in his flannel pajama pants. He dialed a number and tried to ignore the questioning look on Bella's face.

He heard a groggy 'hello'.

"You need to come over here. Now." He commanded her.

"Ugh…It's midnight Edward!" her bell like voice screeched at him.

"Just do it."

"Fine." She said reluctantly before hanging up.  
"Who was that?" Bella asked.

He felt his heart soar. She was already moving forward so quickly. She had asked him another question. But his time, he didn't hear the hesitance.

"My sister." He said looking at her. "Her name is Alice."

**A/N: HA! You guys probably hate me for that. **

**The song I pictured Edward playing was Ludovico Einaudi-I Giorni. There is a linky link on my profile. It's beautiful. You should check it out. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight…I wish I did…but alas…I don't.**

He saw her eyes go wide. "Cullen." She whispered, as if she just realized that they shared the same last name.

"Why didn't you notice our last names before?" he asked her as he stroked her temple softly.

"I-I don't know." Her breathing sped up slightly. "When will she be here?" she desperately wanted to see her best friend.

"In about a half hour." Edward continued his soothing movements, rubbing small circles from her temple, down the side of her face to her neck. He moved to her shoulder hating the feel of the tense knots of muscles beneath her pale flesh. He thought that she was too young to have so much stress in her life; too young to have to endure all of this.

He rubbed at the knots softly. He knew that if he pressed two hard, the release of lactic acid enzymes from the slowly unwinding muscles will cause an uncomfortable burning sensation resulting in tenderness.

He suddenly wondered why he knew that fact. He shrugged; playing it off as years of mindless monotonous studying. He didn't care. It resulted in him maturing faster. It had him moving up quickly in high school and then again in the academy.

If he hadn't done so much mindless studying; he knew that he wouldn't be where he was. He wouldn't have been in the FBI. He wouldn't have been put on Aro's case. He would never have been able to save Bella.

He suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of relief. He used to wonder if it was worth it; studying instead of partying. As he felt Bella's small body relax into his even more he realized that it was definitely worth it. "Would you like to eat now?" he asked her softly.

"Okay." He felt her hum with satisfaction. He knew then that he would have to rub all of the knots out of her shoulders. He hoped that it would ease her pain and make her more comfortable. He stood from the piano bench; carefully holding her to his own body.

He walked to the kitchen and sat her down on one of the bar stools that faced the stove. He forced himself to walk away from her; not wanting to leave her side. He picked up the pan of cold eggs and walked to the garbage can. He tipped the pan over and watched the slushy substance fall with a soft _splat_.

He turned to look at her expectedly, knowing what was coming. "I'm sor—" she stopped herself when he raised a single eyebrow; daring her to continue. She looked away with a small smile on her now cherry red face. "Never mind." She mumbled.

She heard his soft musical chuckle and she felt her heart skip. All of her reactions to him were so strange. She had only been with him for a few hours, and yet she felt herself changing already. She felt herself becoming better.

He placed an onion and a bell pepper on the cutting board, as well as a piece of cheese. She watched as he gracefully chopped all the vegetables. He worked quickly and efficiently.

She felt a strange tingling sensation in her stomach as she watched him. Every now and then his tongue would peak out and wet his bottom lip. It left a glistening trail behind and each time she had felt a strange sense of longing that she couldn't understand.

He felt her eyes on him as he worked. He knew that she was studying him. She was evaluating him, much like the way he had evaluated _her_ earlier. He let her be; knowing that she needed this. She needed to be comfortable around him. She needed to figure out for herself if she could trust him.

He whisked the eggs in a bowl. He added the onions and the pepper. He sprinkled in some salt. He poured some olive oil into the pan and set the flame on high. When the oil began to crackle as it heated up, he poured the mixture into the pan. He let it be and eventually it began to float on top of the layer of oil.

He grabbed a cheese grater and grated the cheese on top of the circular surface. With a spatula he carefully folded half of the cheesy circle over, making an omelet.

He picked up a plate and slid the omelet onto it. He placed the plate in front of Bella with a crooked grin in place. He got a coffee mug and filled it with hot water from the electric water cooler. He put sugar and milk and a tea bag inside and stirred it. He fished the tea bag out and threw it away before placing the cup in front of her as well as a fork. He sat down on the stool opposite her and waited for her to taste it.

She cut a tiny piece off the end with the edge of her fork before scooping it up and bringing it to her lips.

He tried to ignore the way her lips wrapped around the fork. He tried to ignore the tiny noise that she made in the back of her throat as she chewed gratefully. He tried to ignore the way she licked her lips before taking another bite.

He couldn't ignore it though. Physically, he was still just a teenager. His body was still riddled with hormones that he had no control over.

He saw the look of satisfaction in her eyes as she continued to eat; completely unaware of the affect she had on him. He wanted her to have a different look of satisfaction in her eyes. He wanted to cause it, but in a different way. He wanted to satiate her body. He wanted her to tremble as he brought her to climax over and over and over again.

He hated himself for thinking those thoughts. He knew what had happened in that room between her and Jacob. He knew that it was only _just_ a few hours prior. But he couldn't help himself. He wondered if that was how all the men that did horrible things to her felt. He wondered if they had felt helpless. He wondered if they just _couldn't _help themselves.

He banished the thought immediately; not wanting to know what went on in their minds as they tortured her. The fact that she had been raped and violated endlessly for the past two years had his heart breaking and his stomach clenching in painful and sporadic cramps. He felt the anger rip through him in hard forceful waves and hurricane force winds of violent emotions.

He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. He was suddenly exhausted. He watched as she finished off the last of the omelet. She looked up at him and blinked. He grinned at her crookedly. "More?" he asked her.

She simply nodded her head and blushed. He continued to smile at her dazzlingly as he took her plate. He got to work again; making her another omelet. When he was finished he set it in front of her and took her empty cup. He made her another cup of tea and set it before her. "Thank you." She said softly. Her sweet voice left a sugary taste on his tongue.

He frowned as the taste slowly faded. He decided to speak again. It was partly because of his concern for her but a more selfish part of him just wanted to hear her voice again and revel in the sweet aftertaste it left in his mouth.

He watched her as she ate. She had her legs crossed. "Does it still hurt?" he asked her with concern.

She looked at him confusedly.

He swirled his index finger around in the air. "Your…you know." He said vaguely as he looked down at her lap. "You're crossing your legs…so I would only assume…" he trailed off then.

She raised her eyebrows at his strange way of saying it. He didn't want to offend her. "It hurts…a lot…but I'm crossing my legs because I don't..." she paused and shifted uncomfortably. "I don't have any underwear on." She mumbled and blushed.

He stared at her dumbly with his mouth gaping slightly. He heard a loud angry knock at the door. It pushed him out of his daze and left his ears a burning red color. "Ummmmm….I'll go get the door." He made his way to the front door and shook his head trying to clear it of all the scandalous thoughts that were taking over his mind. All of them based on the fact that she wasn't wearing any underwear.

_Stupid stupid stupid_, he chided himself, _stop thinking like a fucking hormonal teenager you fuck-tard_. He mentally yelled at himself. He hated himself for thinking his thoughts. He hated the fact that she was still in so much pain.

He flung his door open to reveal an angry and disgruntled looking Alice. She pushed past him and started her tirade. "Why the fuck did you wake me up Edward?" she slapped his shoulder and walked down the hall towards the kitchen. She knew about his stash of tequila and she desperately wanted it.

She shook her blue plaid raincoat off. She held it in her hand and threw it at Edward. It landed on his head. She turned around then and continued to the kitchen.

"You are a stupid dick face." Her words made him grimace. She was mad at him. He had woken her up in the middle of the night and _ordered_ her over to his house without a single explanation.

She had changed a lot since Bella disappeared. She was depressed and angry and hurt. She had thought that her best friend abandoned her.

The day after Bella was taken; Alice had discovered that Charlie and Renee were dead. The police couldn't find Bella. They had assumed that she came home, saw the bodies and then panicked. They assumed that in her panic, she had run away. A proper investigation was not held because it would have cost the town too much money.

No one was looking for Bella all those years.

Alice paused just outside the kitchen door and turned around to face him. "What? You wanted me to meet one of your whores? Is that it?" she turned around and opened the kitchen door slightly before turning her head to look at Edward. "Cause let me tell you something Edward. I don't want to meet…" she paused after she turned her head to look into the kitchen. "…her." she whispered. "Bella." Tears filled her eyes as she took in the awkward purse of Bella's lips and her small body hunched over as if she was waiting for something to hit her.

Alice grabbed her best friend and hugged her fiercely, letting her tears fall. She pulled back to see Bella smiling at her shyly. "Hi Alice."

"Bella." Alice whispered again. She smiled brightly through her tears. Her smile quickly faded as she took in the large black and blue bruise on her face.

She felt her anger boiling over. She grabbed the knife that Edward used to cut the vegetables to make Bella her omelet. She spun around and pointed it at Edward. "What the fuck did you do to her?"

His eyes were wide and surprised. He didn't get a chance to say anything because Alice screamed, "I'm going to fucking kill you Edward!" She stepped forward, ready to charge at him.

"Alice!" she heard Bella yell. Bella's small hand grasped Alice's arm—the one that held the knife—and pushed it down to her side. She carefully pulled the sharp knife from Alice's hand. She rubbed Alice's shoulders soothingly as she hugged her to her body. "Edward didn't do this to me. He saved me from who was doing this to me."

Edward was suddenly behind Alice. He pulled the both of them into his arms. He grazed the tops of Bella's arms with his fingers. The tickling sensation was soothing. Alice was sandwiched in between them; hugging Bella tightly. She was trying to make up for their two years apart with just that hug. But she knew that it wasn't possible for her to put all of her love into it. She loved Bella too much. It would take many many more hugs to make Alice content with the lost time she had to make up for.  
"When did you find her?" Alice whispered to Edward.

"A few hours ago." He replied.

"What? Why didn't you tell me? Where was she?" Alice asked frantically as she broke away from the embrace. She put one arm around Bella as she faced Edward.

"Go sit in the living room, we'll be right there. There is a lot we need to talk about."

"No." Alice stated firmly. "I'm not leaving her side."

"Alright then." Edward said. He picked Bella up from her seat. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He made his way to the kitchen door and Alice hurried behind.

"What's wrong? Can't she walk?" Alice asked him worriedly.

Edward paused and sighed. He looked down at Bella who was staring at his sister. "It hurts too much." Bella whispered.

"What hurts?" Alice placed a hand on Bella's shoulder.

Bella looked down to her lap and then back to Alice. "No." Alice whispered shaking her head. "Please say _that_ didn't happen."

"I wish I could Alice."

"W-What happened to you?" Alice used the same words Edward did.

Bella let the tears escape. "I don't think you want to know."

**A/N: Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

"Bella. You have to tell me…tell us." Alice whispered.

"She's not ready Alice." Edward said. Alice huffed, annoyed but she nodded her head; accepting what he had said.

A loud beeping noise echoed through the room. Edward pulled his cell phone out of one of his pockets after setting Bella down on one of the large couches.

He looked at the faceplate on his cell phone and grimaced. "I just got called in. I have to go."

"What? It's like 1 a.m. Edward." Alice whined.

"I know. But Alec is probably wondering about the evidence I collected at Volterra, Aro's estate slash manor…thingy." Edward finished awkwardly. He shook his head apologetically.

"Yeah, I never got what the difference between the two was either." Alice said with a small smile.

"Who is Alec?" her soft sweet voice made his lip twitch slightly as he smiled through his annoyance. He was once again stunned. She had grown so much in just a few hours. She had asked him another question. But he knew that he shouldn't get his hopes up. He knew that it would be a long time before she ever fully recovered from what had happened to her.

"Alec is the Assistant Director…my boss." Edward said with a grimace. "I'm gonna go get changed. Would you mind staying with Bella, Alice? That is, if Bella doesn't mind."

"I don't mind." Bella said softly. She felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. It felt like disappointment…like she didn't want him to leave. But she didn't know this. She didn't know what to think of the strange feelings that were now attacking her from all directions.

Alice smiled brightly, "Alright then, I'll stay….wait…" she paused as she suddenly remembered something. "I have classes tomorrow…damn." She whispered.

Bella's smile fell. "That's okay, Alice, I'll be fine alone."

"You are not staying here alone Bella." Edward spoke firmly. He was worried about her. He didn't know why but he suddenly worried that Jacob would find her. He was worried about what Jacob would do to her. He worried that Jacob would realize what Edward had done and turn him in.

Edward's brain began to turn its wheels. He realized that it was impossible for Jacob to even consider turning Edward in if he knew that Edward had risked compromising an investigation and _bought_ another human being. People would wonder why Jacob would know about who was in Volterra. Jacob was nothing but a lowly forensics assistant. He wasn't supposed to know anything about the case.

"It's fine…I won't go to classes tomorrow then." Alice said.

"Good, then it's settled." He looked at the faceplate on his cell phone and grimaced at the time. "I have to go." He stood there for a second looking into Bella's eyes; drowning in them. He shook himself out of his daze and turned around. He headed for the stairs, up to his room.

Alice looked at Bella and sighed. "So what are you majoring in?" Bella asked. "Art I hope."

Alice chuckled. "Yes, I'm majoring in art." She grimaced slightly.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked.

Alice looked at her, "What? Oh…nothing." Alice sighed. "It's just that….Edward is like a genius and I'm majoring in…freaking art." She frowned.

"What's wrong with that?"

"I don't know. I just…I guess I'm jealous of him because Carlisle and Esme are so proud of him." Alice pouted some more and sat down beside Bella.

"But they're proud of you too, right?"

"Well yeah, but…." Alice sighed, unable to find something to retort.

"How come I've never met Edward before?" Bella asked. She and Alice had been friends ever since Bella stumbled into her junior year of high school after having skipped from the eighth grade. "You've never mentioned that you had a brother."

"Well, I was kind of afraid that you'd meet him and realize how awesome he was, and then you'd leave me for him." Alice pouted.

"Alice you sound ridiculous."

Alice ran her hands over her face; pulling the skin on her cheeks down and stretching the skin under her eyelids down. "I know…" she dragged out the 'o' in a whining voice.

Bella stifled a laugh. "But don't you think that I would have eventually found out that you had a brother?"

"Well yeah, but I was kind of hoping that we'd be married by then and you wouldn't be able to leave me because I'm a possessive mother effer."

Bella laughed. "Alice…be serious."

"Ugh." Alice groaned. "I…He's my twin…I feel like we should be equals."

Bella smoothed Alice's immaculate hair; it was soothing. "You don't think you're equals?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because…umm…so yeah." Alice said awkwardly. When she didn't know what to say she normally would say certain things in her mind (things she knew would get her in trouble) and then say the few random words around it that meant nothing.

Bella chuckled. "Alice." She chastised.

Alice sighed. "No, I don't think we're equals. Ever since we were little, he has always been smarter and funnier and cooler. He can cook, he can play piano. Why do you think the FBI recruited him right after he graduated high school? It was because they wanted the best of the best…and that was always Edward. He's the freaking pride and joy of my parents and fucking Alec." She sneered Alec's name.

"The FBI let him skip all the training all because they wanted his help solving cases they're too fucking stupid to figure out for themselves….he's like a consultant…or something. I don't really know the technical term for it."

Bella was appalled. She had never known that Alice had so many insecurities. "You never got to meet him because he graduated when he was 15…you were in the eighth grade then…moving up to 11th the summer after he graduated."

Alice paused and annoyance flashed in her features. "After Alec got to him, he was always so busy with cases. I feel kind of bad for whining because he never actually got to be a kid. I feel like he doesn't really want this…that he is just doing this because of the pressure everyone is putting on him."

"Do your parents pressure him?" Bella inquired. She was spurring Alice on, hoping that once she got everything out she would feel better.

"No…they actually try to force him to slow down. I remember, one time, he had come home after working a big case in Texas…he was like 17 at the time…my parents lit a bunch of joints and put them in the vent in his room right before he went to bed." Alice began to laugh. "He was soooo high the next day." She giggled again.

They heard footsteps coming down the stairs. His loud voice echoed through the house. "You better not be telling her that story with the marijuana and the vents." He yelled from the kitchen as he filled a thermos with instant coffee. He knew that he wouldn't be getting to sleep anytime soon.

"Of course I'm not dear brother of mine." She giggled feeling slightly high. Talking and letting everything she felt out made her feel better. She was glad that she had Bella back. She was always so easy and comforting to talk to.

Edward walked out of the kitchen and stood behind the couch Bella and Alice were sitting on. "I have to go."

"Okay." Bella whispered. Edward leaned down and kissed the top of his sister's head; silently thanking her for staying with Bella. Edward placed a soothing hand on Bella's shoulder.

"I'll be back by morning." With that, he got his keys and walked out the door.

After a few seconds of silence Alice said, "I wanna get drunk." She got up and headed for the kitchen.

"Alice!" Bella called.

She returned a few minutes later with a bottle of wine and two glasses. "If we're gonna get sloshed, we can at least do it with class." She reasoned.

"I don't like alcohol Alice." Bella said as she wrinkled her nose in disgust, trying to repress memories of drunken nights with Jacob. Those had always been some of the worst.

"Why not?" Alice asked, already pouring her second glass.

"First of all…it tastes like nail polish remover. Secondly-"

"Wait. How do you know what nail polish remover tastes like?" Alice interrupted.

Bella began to shiver as a cold draft of fear ran up her spine. That particular memory would haunt her forever—in death as well in life. "I don't want to talk about it."

Alice clenched her fist, guzzling down her third glass. "_He_ did something didn't he?" Alice snarled. "The man that took you?"

"No." Bella said, shaking her head. "The man that took me was someone named Felix. He worked for Aro…the man who um…owned me."

Alice blew some stray hairs away from her face. "No one can ever own you Bella. No one can take your freedom away unless you choose to let them."

"I didn't choose this Alice." Bella said passionately. "I didn't want that life."

Alice wrapped her arm around Bella; forgetting her glass altogether. Now she was drinking straight from the bottle. "I never said you wanted it Bella. No one would want that…well I know one person who kinda would." She mumbled the last part under her breath but Bella still heard her.

"What was that?"

"What?"

"That?"

"That 'what'?"

"Alice!"

Alice groaned. "Edward's ex-girlfriend Tanya. She was into the kinky stuff." Alice grimace before taking another swig of the blood colored drink. "She liked it if he would slap her bum during sex...I've never gotten the appeal to that. She wanted him to bite her and generally just give her a little bit of pain."

Bella was stunned. She couldn't believe that someone would actually _want_ to be subjected to such humiliation. "He wasn't comfortable enough with her to try new things." She paused. "So what were you saying?" Alice said.

"I wasn't saying anything, _you_ were saying something." Bella said quietly. She didn't understand the sad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know; but the sad feeling was because of the fact that Edward had had a girlfriend.

Alice looked confused. "I was?" she asked the air around her. "Oh yeah…" she sighed heavily before looking at Bella with stern ocean blue eyes. "I never said that you chose that life Bella. No one would want that. But your are letting whoever did this to you control your life." She paused. "It's your life Bella." She punctuated each word by poking Bella in the ribs. "You are letting _him_ control your life…your destiny…because of your fear. You are never going back there Bella. You are never going to be someone's captive…someone's plaything."

"You are your own person now. Physically, you are free of him, but mentally, you are letting him control you. You are letting your memories hold you back."

"I can't just forget two years of torture Alice." Bella said softly.

"I'm not asking you to Bella. I'm just saying that you need to _let_ us help you. You need to let us in. If we do something that triggers a memory, you need to tell us what it was. You can't let the memory consume you. If you tell us what triggered it, we can help you understand that not everyone in the world wants to hurt you." She paused with a sigh and took a generous swig from the nearly empty bottle.

"It was just those men. The disgusting ones, the ones that liked to hurt and humiliate women." Alice paused contemplating if she should say it. She decided to just get it out. "My brother isn't one of those men. He is a good man Bella. Someday…" she sighed. "Someday you are going to realize what all these feelings you are having are."

"How did you…" Bella trailed off.

"I'm your best friend Bella. I _know_ you. I can constantly see the changes in your eyes when you're around him. I can see that your subconscious knows what you are feeling. I can see that you just aren't ready to listen."

"I know that I'm not ready to listen." Bella said. "What if I make him angry…or frustrated? Will he hurt me then?"

Alice looked at her best friend. She saw fearful brown eyes and a quivering bottom lip. "My brother has incredible patience Bella. I have never seen him angry before, except for this one time when we were in this club…don't worry Bella. It was a club for teenager's to just go and hang out. This guy wouldn't leave me alone and he kept touching me inappropriately." Bella stiffened in Alice's arms. But Alice gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Edward saw what he was doing and he dragged the guy away from me. He beat him to a bloody pulp in the alley behind the club." She smiled reassuringly at Bella, who was looking at her with wide eyes. "Edward hates it when a man forces himself on a woman. I'm surprised that he hasn't gone crazy trying to control his anger in front of you. I know for a fact that when—not if—he finds that man that hurt you like this, he is going to kill them."

"Edward already knows who did this." Bella whispered.

Alice froze then. "Who Bella? Who did this?"

"Jacob Black. Do you know him?"

"Y-Yeah." Alice swallowed thickly. She bit back tears. Now that she knew who did this, she couldn't help but realize just how close Bella was all those years. "I see him occasionally when I go visit Edward at work." A single tear slipped down Alice's face. "I'm so sorry Bella. I never realized how close you were. I never realized that I could have saved you if I just looked hard enough." A sob broke free. "I never realized that…that…" she cried into her friends shoulder. "I'm so sorry Bella."

"Shhh. You have nothing to be sorry about Alice. It was _not_ your fault."

"But I would take you place if I could. You know that right?"

Bella smiled sadly. Her exhaustion was evident. "I wouldn't let you take my place Alice."

Alice kissed the side of Bella's face. "Sleep Bella."

Bella hummed. "Okay." She fell into a light sleep. It was as if her body was waiting for Edward. It wouldn't rest until he was near. _She _wouldn't rest until she knew that she was safe…with him…in his arms.

**A/N: Well now you have the answers to many questions that have been plaguing your mind. Please review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do however own a freaking awesome electric guitar….so pretty…*drools…gets dizzy…faints***

When he got back to his townhouse the sun was just peaking from behind the tall trees that lined the streets of his suburban neighborhood. A reddish orange hue painted the air around him and lighted the dancing dust particles that floated around aimlessly.

Stifling a yawn as he walked up the steps that led to his front door, he fished his keys out of his pocket. The lock clicked loudly in the silence of the early morning. He pushed the ornately carved wooden door open to find his sister flitting around his apartment—pushing furniture into different places and rearranging the pictures on the walls—as if the ridiculously early time didn't even affect her.

He let her be, grimacing at the sight of the two empty wine bottles that sat on his coffee table. He had once asked her how she could handle consuming so much alcohol. She had simply responded that she had a hollow leg.

A light hum was constantly flowing from her lips as she worked around his home; trying to make it warmer. She knew that Bella would be living with Edward. Alice couldn't stand the thought of having her go through the foster care system because her parents had not specified a guardian to take care of her in their absence.

Alice knew that Bella had nowhere else to go. Alice lived in a small apartment that she shared with a horrid girl who spent hours in the bathroom using up all the hot water and caking on 40 pounds of makeup in hopes of attracting attention—preferably from the opposite sex.

Alice had the money to buy a large house but she had rented the small apartment and acquired a roommate to get the 'full college experience'.

Alice's heart hurt because she had finally been reunited with her best friend…her sister…but they couldn't live together. Alice wanted to chain herself to Bella; she wanted to make sure that she was with her at all times; she wanted to make sure that wherever Bella went…she went as well.

Alice knew that they would have to inform Carlisle and Esme that they found Bella. She could hardly wait for their reunion. Carlisle and Esme had loved Bella like a daughter. Lost in her own thoughts, she ignored her brother as she pushed the bottom left edge of a family portrait upwards so that it was perfectly straight.

Edward stood staring at Bella who was asleep on the couch. Her small fingers were digging into the pillow beneath her head. She had never looked more heartbreakingly sad. There was a little pucker in between her eyebrows. He yearned for the ability to read minds. He wanted to know what was going on in her mind. He wanted to know if he should wake her from what appeared to be a nightmare, or let her sleep.

The swelling on her face had gone down. Anger burst through him as he thought about how much force Jacob must have put into that slap in order to do so much damage to her face. The bruise was still a blackish color mixed in with sea green. The scratches on her cheekbone and the side of her lip had scabbed over slightly. He was relieved to see that she was healing; it was slow but it was still progress.

He crossed the living room to the couch where she slept. He was afraid that she would react like she had done the last time he picked her up as she slept.

He was completely unaware of the fact that Alice was watching him from the corner of her eye as she straightened the spines of the encyclopedia collection Edward had. She wanted to be sure that she trusted him with her. She wanted to know that he would take care of her when she was too far away to do so. She wanted her safe.

He sighed, resigned with the knowledge that he would feel horrible if he let her sleep on the couch and let her sore and achy muscles burn when she woke up. He tucked his hands underneath her body before gently lifting her up in the air.

The light sleep that had surrounded her was abruptly gone and she jumped awake; her heart was thundering and her breaths were uneven. She clenched her eyes shut; willing the memory to leave her be. It was the same one that had collided with her the last time Edward picked her up as she slept.

Edward had frozen in place as he waited for her to calm down. Alice looked on with tear filled eyes, saddened by the fact that such a simple gesture could elicit such a terrible reaction from her. Alice tried not to think of all the torture Bella had to endure. She was sure that her mind couldn't possibly come up with something horrid enough to match what Bella had been through.

Bella's breaths were calmer and her stiff body collapsed into his; completely relaxing. She was utterly exhausted. Tears streamed from her eyes as she clutched onto the collar of Edward's suit jacket. She closed her eyes as another wave of exhaustion passed over her; drowning her in the darkness of unconsciousness.

"What happened?" Alice whispered as she followed Edward—who was moving towards the stairs.

"She had a bad memory of something. It happened the last time I picked her up as she slept." He heard Alice sniffle and the soft thump of her feet as she climbed up the stairs behind him. He walked down the hallway to his bedroom. Alice went ahead of him slightly and held the door open for him.

She walked over to his made up bed and pulled the sheets down. Edward placed Bella onto the bed but as he lifted away from her, he realized that she still had his collar in her tight grip. Alice reached in between their bodies and pried Bella's fingers off of his clothes.

He pulled away from her; his heart was beating wildly in his chest. He remembered back to a few hours prior when he had found her on his bed clutching his pillow to her chest tightly. Then he remembered when she was asleep on the couch, she had her fingers digging into her pillow. He began to wonder if she had always fallen asleep clutching something tightly to her chest; praying it was someone who was willing to save her.

When he saw that she was clinging to him like that, he had felt his heart shatter. He knew in that moment that he was what she was hoping for whenever she fell asleep. It was him. He had to save her. He had to give her something to hold onto whenever she fell asleep. He knew then that he had to be her support, her crutch, and her anchor.

He knew then that he had to hold her together when she was falling apart. He had to protect her from her vicious nightmares and cruel memories. He knew then that he would never give up on her.

Alice pulled the sheets over Bella's body and tucked her in. Edward noticed the goose bumps on her skin. "Is she cold? I could turn down the air conditioning." He suggested.

"No…she always loved the cold." Alice paused thoughtfully. "Can I ask you a question Edward?"

"Okay." Edward said hesitantly.

"Was it cold…there? Where she was? Was is cold or hot?" She asked as her anxiety grew. She wanted to know just some small part of Bella's time there.

"Alice…" Edward warned. His voice was still sympathetic. He could understand her curiosity. He could understand the fact that she wanted to know the conditions in which Bella was living when she was there.

Tears filled Alice's eyes and her lips quivered. Her eyes darted to Bella's sleeping form. "I just want to know Edward. I want to know what they did to her. I want to know why she's so scared. I w-want…" Alice cupped her hands around her face and cried as Edward pulled her to him; hugging her tightly. "I want to know _something_ Edward." Alice cried passionately.

"It was hot…really really hot." He whispered.

She sobbed harder; the knowledge didn't help, it made her feel worse. "W-Would you mind if I stay with her? In the bed? Just until she wakes up. Please Edward." She begged as she wiped her nose on her sleeve and looked back at her best friend.

"Go ahead. I'll make some breakfast and then I'll be in my study." Edward said softly. Alice nodded. She crawled into bed besides Bella. They laid facing each other, Bella's fingers were clutching his pillow again, holding it to her face. Alice laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes.

She fell into a light sleep, but it was the best sleep she had gotten since Bella had disappeared. Edward covered Alice with the sheet after slipping her shoes off. They may have been twins, but he was 11 minutes older. He was her big brother and he wanted to protect her. He hated seeing her so sad. But he knew that he couldn't protect her from everything.

Sometimes he wished that she was more social. She was a pariah of sorts among her peers; an outcast among those who pretend to be different. Her artistic way of viewing life; the fact that she chose to be high on creativity and expressions instead of drugs made her seem strange to others. Her clothes were either too dark or depressing—ranging from the blackest of blacks to the grayest of grays—or too colorful and bright with yellows and oranges and vibrant reds.

She was too contradicting. She was always fluttering about like an uneasy butterfly. She was always high on life. She was just _abnormal_ to others. That much he didn't understand. He thought that nowadays people _wanted_ to be different.

He knew that eventually Alice was going to find her other half. He just hoped that her soul mate would be able to tame her. Alice had always been a little flighty. Her brain worked faster than her mouth. She would be saying something and thinking something else. Then, what she was thinking would come out in what she had been saying.

She confused people.

Edward walked to his closet and picked out a white t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants. After changing in the bathroom, he left the bedroom with one last glance at his bed. Alice had cocooned Bella's body into her own. Her face rested on Bella's shoulder and her arms and legs were wrapped around Bella's body.

Edward remembered that whenever he had been home for a break in between cases, every morning he would wake up to find Alice hugging him like that in her sleep. He was sure that she was unconscious of the fact that she was doing it, just as he was sure that Bella was unconscious of the fact that she would fall asleep hugging something to her body.

Edward felt the guilt closing in on him. Even then, he had known that she missed him terribly, and yet he had made no attempt to get time off. He wasn't very fond of his job. He loved that he helped people. He loved that he could protect people…but the stress…all the pain and suffering he had to see…he hated it.

Even though he had an abnormally gifted mind, he had always just wanted to be a simple high school music teacher, composing, writing music for his students, even teaching Music Theory to aspiring musicians. He wanted to see them blossom into the greatest of the greats; easily being able to pound out a beautiful piece of music on a child's toy piano.

He walked down the hallway to the stairs as he thought about how well Bella and Alice complimented each other. Alice was dramatic in all of her emotions. When waves of depression would claim her; no one would be able to soothe her anguish. When her vibrancy would return; it would be too bright and happy to be around for long periods of time. Alice had elfin like features; all angular and pointed like a pixie.

Bella, however, wasn't very dramatic. But she was very grave; she looked on at everything with sad brown eyes. Bella had soft features; a heart shaped face with high cheekbones, wide doe like eyes, a small button like nose, and full plumped lips. She was softer and gentler compared to Alice who was more fierce and protective.

Edward realized that it must be part of the Cullen's genes to be so possessive of their loved ones. Alice was _his_ just as he was Alice's. They belonged to each other. They had shared the same mother and the same womb. He was her brother. And she was his sister…no one elses.

Edward made them some pancakes and strawberry syrup. The syrup took a while but he knew that they would love it. He left a pot of hot chocolate heating up in the coffee maker. After returning to his study he sat down on his tall backed leather chair and sighed heavily.

He was tired, but he wanted to finish writing his report for what he had seen and documented at Volterra.

When he had gone to visit Alec, he was nervously pacing a hole into his office floor. He had waited there all night for the evidence he knew Edward would have collected at Volterra. They had gone over countless pictures of Aro's cruel acts, actual receipts from 'purchases' he had made, and Edward had even photographed Aro's log books that documented every time he had bought or sold a girl. Unfortunately for the case, in the books Edward had seen, Aro didn't list who he sold the girls to in the log books Edward saw. Fortunately for Edward, his alias wouldn't be listed for having bought Bella.

As he looked over the last of the data, he grimaced knowing that they had no chance of finding any of the girls Aro had sold.

He was however grateful that Alec had called him in so late at night to get all the facts straight and all the paperwork done. If he had gone during the day, he was certain that if he saw Jacob he would have beaten him to a bloody pulp.

He knew that would arouse unwanted attention. He finished up looking over the paperwork. He felt the exhaustion become too much. It overwhelmed him. He folded his arms on top of his desk and laid his head down hoping for a few minutes of rest.

However, he woke a few hours later to a loud scream.

**A/N: Reviews make the updates go faster.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

He jumped up and looked around; dazed. He ran to his bedroom and threw his door open. "Edward, she's bleeding!" Alice screamed. She was sitting up, holding Bella, who was sitting up besides her. She looked like she was in torturous pain. Her hands were clutched into fists so tightly; her nails began to tear into the palms of her hands.

She was crying. Tears streamed down her face and sobs were erupting from her. They sounded like gasps and whimpers as she hiccupped. He stood over her; afraid to touch her. When he recognized the fear and rejection in her eyes he pulled her into his arms.

His body was warm and she felt her muscles relax. "From where?" he asked Alice quietly as Bella's pained cries continued.

Alice took a deep breath and wiped her eyes; pretending to wake herself up when she was actually wiping away un-fallen tears. She reached over Bella and pulled the sheets down past her waist to her thighs. Edward's black sheets were brown having been saturated with her blood.

He clenched his jaw and he hands balled into fists against her back. "What do we do?" Alice asked worriedly.

"Call Carlisle, but first help me get her into the tub. It'll probably help with the pain." Edward suggested as he walked towards the bathroom. He felt Bella shaking in his arms; he knew of her fear but he had to help her with the pain.

Alice turned on the water. Once the tub was full Edward stepped forward with Bella. She struggled in his arms. "N-No please don't…I'm sorry!" she cried as she pushed at his chest with her fists.

Alice grabbed Bella's wrists. "What's happening Edward? What's wrong?" Alice pleaded with her brother; silently asking him to fix her best friend.

"A memory." Edward growled angrily.

"Bella." Alice whispered as she stroked her hair; gently coaxing her out of the memory. Bella relaxed into Edwards arms; thoroughly exhausted.

"How did you…" He trailed off.

Alice simply shook her head and looked pointedly at the tub. Edward began to lower Bella into the water. She instinctively held her breath; waiting for him to sadistically push her head under and hold her there until she stopped her struggles. But it never happened.

She felt him settle her into the tub. As the raw flesh between her legs met the hard acrylic of the tubs bottom she belted out a piercing scream as the pain ripped through her. Her fingers dug into the tops of Edward's arms as she attempted to pull herself up and out of the water by climbing up his body; he didn't even feel it as her fingernails pierced his skin. "Bella?" he asked worriedly as she sobbed. "Bella? What's wrong?"

She hiccupped. "…hurts…" she began to sob again.

He looked at Alice for help. Her expression was pensive. Her eyes widened as she realized what was wrong. "Edward lift her up, off the bottom of the tub." His strong arms had her floating slightly in the water. Bella's cries died down to a whimper. "Now, put your hand between her knees and hold them apart."

He held one of her legs up with the hand that was wrapped around them as he reached in between them and took hold of her other knee. He pushed her legs apart and he heard her sigh in relief. "Better?" he asked; whispering to her soothingly.

She nodded and hummed an affirmative. Alice sat on the other side of the claw foot tub; running her fingers through Bella's hair in a soothing manner. "Alice call Carlisle."

After withdrawing her cell phone from the pocket in her jeans she dialed her father's number quickly. He picked up on the second ring. "Hello?" He had a habit of answering his phones like that even though caller ID told him who was calling him. He wanted to be polite.

"Dad?"

"What's wrong?" Carlisle immediately heard the panic in Alice's voice.

"It's Bella." Alice said.

"Bella?" Carlisle whispered confusedly.

"Edward found her last night and he called me to tell me that he found her after he realized who she was…and oh my goodness it's horrible…she's covered in bruises and she's crying and she's bleeding and I don't know what to do…daddy please come fix her…" Alice was nothing but the scared little girl she was when she called 9-1-1 after discovering Charlie and Renee's dead bodies. Hot tears burned her face.

"I'll be right there." He hung up then. Alice remained by Bella's side stroking her hair and weeping softly for her friends pain and for her stolen innocence. Because Carlisle and Esme were staying at their Seattle home it only took ten minutes before Carlisle was pounding on Edward's front door.

Alice ran to go get it whiles Edward continued to whisper into Bella's ear. Alice had no idea what he was saying but it seemed to make Bella relax more and more. Her eyes looked dazed and tired as he spoke to her quietly.

Alice opened the door quickly; fumbling with the locks for a few seconds. The handsome blond man standing on the other side had lines of worry etched in his angular features. "Where is she?"

"Upstairs in the bathroom." Alice choked out. Carlisle ran past her down the hall and up the stairs to the bathroom with Alice following him closely behind.

He pushed the bathroom door open and came face to face with the daughter he hadn't seen in over two years. "Bella…" he whispered as he made his way over to her side. He set his leather bag down on the tiled floor and reached his hand up to stroke her hair. His heart broke when she flinched. "Can you tell me what's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked.

"…it hurts…" she cried, frustrated.

"Where?" Carlisle realized that Edward was holding her up off the floor of the tub. "Why are you holding her like that? What's going on?"

"Carlisle." Bella whispered.

His blue eyes flashed to hers. "What's wrong Bella? You have to tell me."

She shook her head and hid her face in Edward's shirt. She didn't want to say the words. She didn't want to acknowledge that it had happened.

"She didn't run away two years ago dad." Edward spoke as Alice kneeled on the tiled floor behind Bella and stroked her hair.

"What do you mean?"

"She was taken."

"What? How? What happened?" Carlisle asked.

"I was working on a case. There was a man. He was a big dealer in the white slave trade."

"No." Carlisle whispered. "Not that, anything but that." his heart thudded angrily and he clenched his jaw.

"I…I was undercover. I was in his 'house' as he called it and I saw her there. I don't know why, but I knew that I couldn't leave her there…so…I bought her." Carlisle's eyes widened. "After I realized who she was I called Alice. She was sleeping and a few minutes ago I heard screaming and I went to see what was wrong. My sheets were covered in blood." He nodded at Bella. "Her blood."

"Where was she bleeding from?"

"Between her legs." Alice whispered as tears filled her eyes.

"Do we need to take her to the hospital?" Edward asked reluctantly. He didn't want to let her go. He wanted her to be safe. And when she was with him, he knew she would be safe because he would protect her with his life.

"No!" Alice screamed and wrapped her arms around Bella. "They'll take her away from me again. Please don't!"

Carlisle sighed. "I can do a vaginal exam here."

Bella's arms tightened around Edward's neck and she hugged herself closer to him. "I don't think she'll let you do that." Edward said looking at his father.

Carlisle nodded and looked at Bella's bruised face thoughtfully. "Bella." He called to her. She turned her head to look at him. "I'll just ask you some questions and I need to you answer them. Is that alright, Hun?"

She nodded. "But I need to press down on your stomach to see if anything is wrong there. Is that okay?"

She was still stiff in Edward's arms, but she nodded her head and looked up at him. He rolled up the sleeves of his black button up shirt and dipped his arm into the water. He gently prodded at her stomach looking at her face for any signs of distress. "Does this hurt?" he asked as he pressed down on the area above where her ovaries were. She shook her head no. He did the same thing on the other side. He slowly worked his way down. And each time he asked her if she was in pain, she said no.

Carlisle removed his hand from the water and sighed. "There is nothing wrong internally. I think it's just external. Her skin was torn and it had probably begun to heal; but any kind of movement could have opened the wound right up again."

"What does that mean? What do we do?" Alice asked.

"Well…basically. You just have to let her heal. I can give her something for the pain and I wouldn't recommend her walking for a while." Carlisle placed his hand on her shoulder and rubbed soothing circles around. "If the bleeding starts again, just put a cloth in between her legs maybe even a menstrual pad." Edward and Alice nodded. "When she is sleeping, I suggest you put a pillow between her knees to hold her legs apart. It should help with the discomfort."

"Okay. Should someone be with her at all times?" Edward asked.

"That's probably a good idea, just in case you need to help her if the pain becomes too much. How long have you had her in the water?"

"About a half an hour." Edward responded.

"I think the bleeding should have stopped by now, you can take her out."

Edward nodded and proceeded to lift Bella out of the cooling water. Her teeth chattered as the cold air hit the wet shirt that clung to her skin. In their haste to get Bella some relief, Edward and Alice had forgotten to remove her shirt. Alice grabbed a big fluffy white towel and wrapped it around Bella, who was shivering in Edward's arms.

Looking over Bella's head into the tub, Edward realized just how much she bled. Thankfully, it wasn't a lot. The water was only slightly tinted pink.

"I'll change her into something else. Edward can you get me another one of your shirts?"

He nodded as he walked towards his bed. He laid her down gently. Her fingers lingered on the red marks her fingernails had left on the tops of his arms. "I did that to you." She said quietly.

"It's nothing Bella." It was in fact nothing to him. The pain he felt when he saw Bella so helpless was far greater than any other pain he had ever suffered before.

Her eyes fluttered closed as exhaustion over took her. "I'm sorry." She whispered. She barely registered it when Carlisle pierced her skin with a needle and injected her with a pain killer. Edward stared at her face; not even acknowledging the fact that the water had made his white dress shirt completely see through.

He wasn't going to degrade her body by staring at her practically naked form as she slept. He wasn't like the others. He wasn't like Jacob. He walked to his closet and got another button down shirt for her. He gave it to Alice and followed Carlisle out to his study.

Carlisle stood in the middle of the room and rubbed his face. "Where is she staying?" Carlisle asked.

"Here, with me." Edward answered in an unwavering voice that left no room for compromise.

"Until when Edward?"

"It's July, Carlisle. She'll be turning 18 in September. She can leave then if she wants." Edward said the last part reluctantly. He didn't want her to leave. "I'll pay for her to go to college too…if and when she wants to go." Edward said quietly.

Carlisle shook his head. "Edward, no. That money you made all by yourself. I'll pay for it. She's like a daughter to me."

"How about you both pay for it?" Alice's voice startled them and they turned around quickly.

Carlisle and Edward looked at each other and shrugged. "Okay." They both said.

"I got her changed."

"Good." Carlisle said. "Bella is staying here with Edward."

"Okay then. I'll get her stuff out of storage today and bring it over." When Bella had disappeared Alice took all of her belongings and put them in a warehouse. She knew that one day Bella would return. "But what about your case?" Alice asked Edward.

Edward scratched the back of his neck. "For now? We still have an ongoing investigation…but I'll never leave Bella alone." Edward said before pausing. "I think…she needs constant attention—good attention—she needs love. She needs someone to hold her and help her move on. I want to be that someone." His voice was thick was sadness at their situation. He wished he could have saved her sooner but it had taken a lot of time to earn Aro's trust in the first place.

Carlisle nodded. "I think I'll be going now." He handed Edward a bottle of pills…painkillers. "Make sure she takes these once every six hours."

Edward held the bottle in his fingers. "Okay."

"Alice, I think you should leave too."

Alice looked at Carlisle with wide teary eyes. "N-No…I want to stay."

"Alice. I realize that you miss Bella, but this is unhealthy. You need to give yourself time to process everything or you're going to shut down…like last time." Carlisle whispered the last words remembering something he longed to forget.

When Alice had found Charlie and Renee's dead bodies and called 9-1-1, she had only been 17 years old. After ending the call with the police, she had run through Bella's house screaming her name. She had raced outside and into the dark forests that surrounded Bella's house. She ran around for hours screaming herself deeper and deeper into a frenzy when Bella wouldn't answer her calls.

A search party was sent out. Alice was found sitting underneath a large tree; rocking back and forth and muttering to herself silently. She lost her voice because she had been screaming loudly for hours. She didn't talk for months after that. She withdrew into herself falling into a catatonic zombie-like state. One day, she just woke up and was angry and hurt. She could feel again. That day was what was supposed to be Bella's 16th birthday.

Alice pursed her lips and looked at her brother for help. He looked torn; he didn't want Alice to break down like that again but he didn't want her to be sad that she was away from her best friend. Alice saw the battle in his eyes and felt guilty all of the sudden. "You can come back later tonight to see how she's doing." Edward suggested; he glanced at Carlisle and saw him nod his head minutely.

"Okay." Alice whispered. "Can I see her one last time?" Edward realized then just how much Alice loved Bella. It was only 9 a.m. and she would be coming back to see Bella in only 8 hours and yet she was acting as if it would be an eternity. It was impossible for him not to comprehend her attachment to Bella. He had only known Bella for 12 hours and yet he couldn't stand to have her out of his sight.

Edward and Carlisle nodded their heads. Alice spun around and walked down the short hallway to Edward's bedroom. Carlisle and Edward followed behind her. She stood by Bella's sleeping form. "I love you baby sister. I'll see you later." She kissed Bella's forehead and turned to look at her father. "Could you give me a ride dad? I took the bus here."

"Sure thing Hun." Carlisle said as he wrapped a loving arm around her shoulders. Carlisle grabbed his leather bag from Edward's study. "Call me if anything goes wrong. You're mother has the flu…I'm not sure she'll be here for a while." A small smile danced on his lips as he tried to imagine how happy Esme would be when he told her that they had found Bella. "But she'll try to kick my ass after a few days of bed rest." Edward smiled and nodded.

"Dad, can you start the car? I have to talk to Edward for a second."

Carlisle gave her a quizzical look before turning and walking out the front door. When Alice turned to face Edward, she had tears in her eyes. He pulled her into his arms and she buried her face in his chest. "W-When I was changing her…I…" she paused, sniffling and sighing. "She was covered in bruises and bite marks and scratches and scars…" Edward's arms tightened around Alice's body. Anger coursed through him like a lethal venomous poison. "Please take care of her." Alice whispered as she looked up at him.

He nodded his head. "I will Alice."

She smiled through her tears before turning around, "Thank you Edward." She said quietly as she shut the front door behind her.

**A/N: I know…you guys didn't want 'the scream' to be something bad, but I wanted to bring Carlisle into the story and then Esme…**

**And I know that most of you realize that there are a lot of coincidences in this story…like Edward finding Bella and the fact that Carlisle and Esme were only 10 minutes away, but every now and then I like to pull a Charles Dickens *grins***

**Please review.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello peoples. Just wanted to give a quick shout out to SRWM. I hope this chapter makes you feel better sweetie ;P.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

As soon as Alice walked out, Edward turned around and headed up to his room. When he entered, his heart shattered at the sight of her broken form. He noticed that her legs had bruises—some were fading others were fresh. Clenching his jaw, he made his way over to her and gently lifted her up. He froze when she shifted and whimpered pushing him away slightly with tiny balled up fists.

When she calmed down he turned and walked to his study with her in his arms. He set her on the soft antique looking cloth covered couch in the corner. He grabbed a blanket from the linen closet and returned to her only to see her clutching the couch pillow in her hands. She had a small pucker in between her eyebrows; like she was concentrating on something really hard. Her red lips were twitching as she mumbled quietly.

She looked so innocent and broken as her body slowly curled into the fetal position. He wanted to scream; he wanted to break something when he saw her wince at the movement. He grabbed a pillow from the other side of the couch and pushed a hand between her knees. Gently lifting her knee up, he put the pillow in between them before spreading the blanket over her.

She jumped up slightly and mumbled something incoherently as she saw his glowing eyes through the blurriness of her sleep deprived mind. She laid back down and cuddled into the couch more; liking the fact that there was something against her back as she slept.

He tucked her in, pushing the edges of the blanket under her until it was cocooned around her like a metaphorical shield.

He paused for a second; his lips hovering inches away from her skin. Closing his eyes, he pressed his lips against her forehead hesitantly. She sighed softly and relaxed into the couch even more. He opened his eyes to find a small content smile on her lips. He kissed the cut on her cheekbone—not even daring to kiss the one that slashed through the corner of her bottom lip no matter how much he wanted to.

He stood up and walked to his room smiling softly at the tingling electricity that he felt coursing through his lips. Pulling the sheets and pillows off of his bed he was relieved to see that she hadn't bled a lot. There was only a small patch of drying blood where she had slept. He put the sheets and pillow cases in the laundry basket in the bathroom before returning to the linen closet to grab fresh deep burgundy sheets and pillow cases.

After he finished making his bed he returned to his study. He turned down the temperature and felt the air begin to chill even more as the air conditioner began to silently blast into his office.

Alice did say that Bella liked the cold.

Even though he was tired; he didn't want to go to sleep. He grabbed a book from his extensive collection. He didn't pay attention to the title. He pulled one of the small chairs from its place by the fireplace and set it so that he would be sitting right by Bella's head. He pulled the leather footrest up along the side of the couch so that he could put his feet up. He sat and opened his book. The musty scent of the aging paper washed over him.

It calmed him. He had always found peace in books. Just like Bella, he loved to get lost in them. But unlike Bella, it was only for the pure joy he got from reading. Bella read so that she could escape from the horrors that plagued her life.

He realized that he hardly knew anything about her. All he knew was that she was an extremely captivating person. She had taken his heart and he knew that it was hers forever. Her beauty was astoundingly ethereal—almost goddess-like when she was sleeping so peacefully.

He grasped the corner of the page of his book and rubbed his index finger and thumb in circles. The paper was rough between his fingers—once a crisp white color—it was now yellowing with the wear of the years.

He stared into space not noticing time passing or the loud ticking of the grandfather clock that sat bracing against the wall opposite him.

Her eyelids fluttered open as she woke from her sleep. She saw him sitting in his chair with a brooding look on his face. She watched with a small smile on her face as he continued to stare at the page between his fingers with rapt attention. Studying him further, she realized that he wasn't even reading the book, merely staring at it as if it held the answers to everything.

"I love that book." She said softly. Her voice startled him. He turned to her with a small smile on his face.

"You know _Ivanhoe_?" He asked her.

"Yes, it's lovely." She whispered.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. She nodded her head slightly.

He stood and leaned over her before he peeled the sheet from her body and pulled the pillow from between her knees. He wrapped his arms around her fragile body and lifted her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his neck. She took in his scent. Calming and masculine it was sun kissed apples, honey, and sugar mixed with something musty and male and just Edward.

She didn't know why but she felt the urge to peak her tongue out to taste him then kiss his neck; feeling the soft skin and how it moved and yielded to her persistence.

But she didn't. She settled for closing her eyes and enjoying the safeness she felt when she was in his arms. She heard the soft tapping of his feet as he made his way down the stairs. He walked into the kitchen and set her down on a stool; making sure she was comfortable before warming up the pancakes and syrup he had made earlier. He poured her a glass of hot chocolate and set it in front of her along with the pancakes and strawberry syrup.

He watched as she ate; it was impossible for him to ignore the small sounds of content that were coming from her. Glancing at the clock, he noted that it was nearing 11 am. When she was finished she asked, "Can I watch TV?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "You don't have to ask me Bella."

"Oh…sorry." She said.

He tucked his arms underneath her legs lifting her with ease as he said, "We're going to have to talk about this whole 'apologizing' thing." He walked out of the kitchen; pushing the door open with his shoulder.

"What 'apologizing' thing?" she asked; discreetly trying to drink his scent in.

She was so unconscious of the fact that she was apologizing. She was constantly doing it at Volterra; apologizing for things Jacob, Aro, and countless others had claimed she did wrong just so they could see her endure a punishment.

He set her down on the couch carefully before grabbing the remote off of the coffee table. He turned to her then with a serious expression on his face. "Unless you have set me on fire." He punctuated the last four words by shaking his index finger. "Do. Not. Apologize. To me…please."

She giggled and he cracked a smile. He turned on the TV and sat down besides Bella. He looked over to where she was sitting with her legs tucked under her as she played with the cuffs of the large shirt she was wearing. She looked uncomfortable as if she didn't know how she should watch TV around him. With a sigh he reached over and grabbed her wrist lightly and tugged her over to where he was sitting. He wrapped his arm around and slowly but surely, she curled up into his side. "What would you like to watch?"

"What's on?" she asked.

He flipped through the channels, quickly listing off titles of shows and movies. "SpongeBob, Family Guy, NCIS, True Blood, The Universe." She immediately perked up at hearing that.

"The Universe?" she asked.

He smiled. "Sure." They watched a marathon of scientists explaining things that varied from the big bang theory to the importance of the moon. He had had to take her to the bathroom once and then give her the painkillers.

He watched her carefully. He had already seen all of the episodes but she didn't.

He noticed that there was once again a small pucker between her eyebrows as she absorbed all of the information. He also noticed that when a certain piece of information was incorrect she scoffed quietly and shook her head.

She was an enigma to him. He wanted to understand her. Again, he found himself wishing that he could look into her mind; peer into her thoughts and memories so that he would know what went on in her head.

It was nearing twilight; the cold moon rising as the sun sank beneath the horizon. Edward was in the kitchen making dinner for Alice and Bella.

Thunder crashed loudly outside. The torrential downpour of the freezing droplets of water as they crashed against the French windows on the wall adjacent to Bella made the room seem smaller. Edward had dimmed the lights to create a warmer feeling; all that lit the living room was a single lamp. Lightning flashed; signaling the impending thunderous boom that would decimate the silence as Bella slept soundly.

Edward's cell phone vibrated softly in the pocket of his flannel pajama pants. Alice had sent him a text message.

**~I'll be there in ten**…she told him.

**~Doors open, just come in. B is sleeping**…he replied.

He didn't want his sister to wake Bella. She had barely made a noise to signal that she was having a nightmare. She slept soundly. Her quiet breathing made his heart warm. He found it strange that the fact that she was breathing was important to him.

He had realized—over the course of the day—that Bella had the ability to make anyone fall in love with her. When the memories of her past weren't suffocating her, she was carefree and happy. She was just like any other teenager. But he knew that she wasn't a normal teenager. She had secrets and memories that she would never speak about. There were things about her that Edward _knew_ he would never know about. She had only closed herself off into a memory once that day.

Edward had been rubbing her shoulders; trying to ease the tension they held. When his fingers ventured up the back of her neck; he _felt_ her fear rattle through his bones like the aftershocks of an earthquake. When he had asked her what was wrong, she shook her head and clenched her eyes shut. A single tear slipped down her cheek.

He wiped it away and pulled her to his own body. She pulled back from him. He feared that she was going to push him away instead she said, "H-He used to touch me here." She ran her index finger along her collarbone stopping at the little hollow beneath her neck. "T-Then he w-would-" she broke down sobbing then.

He knew what she was going to say so he didn't push it any further. Instead he held her and rocked her back and forth. He kept whispering, "I won't hurt you." He said it over and over and over again. He wanted her to believe him. He wanted her to trust him. Eventually, the exhaustion took over and she fell asleep in his arms. He had left her there, pushing a pillow between her knees and covering her with the knitted afghan that had been folded over the back of the couch.

As he finished making the stuffing for the chicken, he heard the front door click open followed by the swishing of an umbrella as water was shaken out of it.

Alice.

Alice loved to walk around Seattle when it was raining. It was just another one of her quirks. She would disappear for hours touring the city of her birth. The tall buildings were mysterious monstrosities in the large metropolis that she considered her playground. Most people never understood how something as simple as the sidewalks could be so interesting.

But Edward understood. He was her twin. He knew that she enjoyed the artistic shapes of the buildings. He knew that she enjoyed simplicity. He was the same. The need for money and nice things was not there. The smallest things were wondrous to them.

After Alice shook all of the rain water from her umbrella, she walked to the couch and kissed Bella's hair. She had left her yellow galoshes and her polka dotted umbrella beneath the awning on the front porch. The bottoms of her rainbow striped toe socks slid along the hardwood floors as she skated to the kitchen. She was indeed a very strange girl.

She jumped on top of the counter and swung her feel like a child. "Need help?" she asked Edward as she grabbed a baby carrot from the cutting board. She put it in her mouth and chewed loudly. She knew that the swishing noise it made annoyed Edward. But instead of cringing at the noise he smiled at her antics. He hadn't seen her so happy in a long time.

"Can you season the chicken?" he asked her with a crooked grin.

She narrowed her eyes at him and crinkled her nose. "I'll be in the living room with Bella." She hated touching raw chicken. It was slimy and it smelled weird. Well, that was what she had told him.

She jumped off of the counter. The pot of boiling water—for the mashed potatoes—rattled loudly on the stove top as the vibrations from Alice's landing shook through the kitchen.

Edward shook his head and smiled as he heard her giggle; skipping her way to the living room. He continued to work silently. He loved cooking for his sister. He loved the fact that for those few precious moments she was her old self again as she helped him.

She sat down beside Bella; gently laying her head on her shoulder. Bella sat with her back against the armrest of the couch, leaning her head on the cushions that padded the back of the couch. Alice turned on the TV and put the volume on low as she flipped through the channel. She paused at Tom and Jerry and watched for a few minutes.

Bella began to stir. Alice had her forehead leaning against Bella's slightly so when she woke, her eyes met ocean blue ones filled with an unnatural amount of cheer.

"EEEP!" Alice squealed. "You're awake!"

"And you're short. Thank you for stating the obvious Alice." Bella chuckled and rolled her neck around until a small crack was heard.

Edward ran into the room then. "What's wrong?" he asked with a confused yet concerned expression on his face. "I heard screaming."

"Nothing." Alice chirped. "Is dinner ready yet? I'm hungry."

Edward smiled and shook his head at her. "Yes it's ready."

"Yay food!" Alice yelled as she jumped up.

Edward picked Bella up, cradling her against his chest as if she was made of thinly blown glass covered in soft silk. That was how she felt to him. She was so breakable in his arms and her skin was warm and soft. An animalistic urge to protect her erupted in him just by holding her.

Alice had placed a cushion on one of the barstools. Edward set Bella down on that stool; carefully making sure that she was comfortable. He served them and waited for their approval. They both moaned graciously as they ate the chicken. He took the satisfied looks on their faces as approval. He gave Bella one of her painkillers after dinner. He moved Bella to the couch; wishing that he could hold her longer.

They watched TV for a while. As it was approaching 11 Alice stated that she had to go home. "I had a U-HAUL truck bring all of Bella's things over. It's just a few boxes. Can you bring them in Edward?" Alice said.

"Sure."

Alice said goodbye, kissing both of them on the cheek before turning around and heading out the door. "Do you want to shower or take a bath whiles I move your stuff in?" Edward asked.

She nodded her head, "A shower please." She said as she raised her arms up, signaling him to lift her up. He picked her up gently. Once again she found comfort against his hard muscled chest as he carried up the stairs to his bathroom. He set her down on the sink before going to his closet and returning with a white t-shirt for her.

He picked her up again and set her down so that she was standing in the shower. He placed a fluffy white towel outside the shower doors handing on the towel rack along with her t-shirt so she wouldn't have to move to get anything. "Call me when you're done, okay?" he asked her sweetly with a small smile on his lips. He enjoyed taking care of her. He _wanted_ her to be comfortable. But he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he could never make up for the two years of torture she suffered.

"Okay." She said. Her voice was still small and unsure of him. He could still sense that she had doubts about him…doubts he wanted to push away forever. He grinned at her crookedly before turning and exiting the bathroom, leaving the door opened slightly.

He walked downstairs and went outside. The U-HAUL truck was hardly necessary. Bella had one box of clothes, and two boxes of books. He noticed that in the front seat of the truck, Alice had left some shopping bags. They were filled with shampoo and conditioner, lotions and makeup along with other things women needed.

Edward made four trips outside before everything was in his house. He began to put her clothes in the empty draws of his wooden chest. He tried to ignore the fact that she had lots of lacy bras and underwear but he couldn't. He was only 19. He had no control of his body or of his reactions.

He set all of her feminine hygiene products on top of the dresser. He would find a place for them later. He had put her boxes of books in his study. He would put them in the bookshelves or if she wanted he would get a bookshelf specifically for her books.

He heard her call for him. He pushed the bathroom door open and was immediately drowning in the scent of the steamy air, his body wash, and her natural scent. She was standing in the shower. Her hair was curly and wild. He could tell that she attempted to towel dry it. But because it was so long, it didn't work out too well. Just seeing her in his t-shirt made him feel a familiar tingling in the pit of his stomach.

It wasn't his arousal. It was the fact that she was wearing something that was his. It was like he had marked her and she belonged to him. He shook his head at his thoughts. He knew that she would never be his.

She smiled at him as he picked her up. He walked to his room and stood looking at his bed and at his bedroom door. "Do you want to sleep or stay up a little longer?" he asked her.

"I want to sleep." She said with a smile.

He set her on the bed and pulled the sheets over her. "Alice…um…she…got you some…um…things."

She raised her eyebrows at him.

"She got you some shampoo, some conditioner, some-tampons-and-menstrual-pads, some lotion…" he worked in the middle part quickly. It was embarrassing for him to talk about it with her.

He looked up at her—he had been looking about the room at anything other than her. She had a sad look on her face. "I don't need them." She whispered quietly.

"What the lotion? Are you sure? I mean dry skin can be very irritating…" he trailed off when he saw her shaking her head.

"The tampons and the pads. I don't need them." She clarified.

"What? Why not?" he was confused.

"I-I don't get my period…I can't have kids either." She whispered. A single tear slipped down her face. He felt useless all of the sudden. He didn't know if she wanted him to hold her or leave. She looked up at him with her sad brown eyes willing him to hold her.

He pulled her into his arms and rocked her back and forth for a few minutes.

"We can take you to a doctor so we can get the exact diagnosis…just…how did this happen?" he asked her as he pulled back slightly to caress her face.

"A-Aro said t-that he broke me."

"What do you mean?" Edward's brow furrowed.

"H-He gives me shots like every three months. He told me that I can never have kids because of the medicine."

"Oh Bella." He sighed with relief. "Do you know what the medication was called?"

"Um…I'm not sure…" she said.

"Well after he would give it to you, would anything be different about your health?"

"My arm would hurt a lot—where he put the needle…and um…I'd get headaches a lot."

"If I name the medicine he gave you, do you think you would be able to recognize it?" She nodded her head. "Was it Depo-Provera?" he asked her in a hopeful voice.

She nodded her head, he smiled at her widely. That confused her. "You're okay Bella. Depo-Provera is a contraceptive."

Surprise flooded her features. It was quickly followed by relief and gratefulness. "Can you tell me when the last time he gave it to you was?" Edward asked.

"Maybe two months ago." She whispered.

"Well, next month, you don't have to get it. In a year or so you'll be able to have kids…though I doubt you'd want to…you know…if you want to go to school and stuff…but it's okay…you know…to have kids and go to school…but it's hard…actually I wouldn't know but-" Bella cut off his nervous rambling.

"I know what you mean Edward." She laughed lightly. He loved the sound of it. She laid down and he stroked her forehead softly.

"Goodnight Bella." He said as he started to walk away from him.

"No wait." She called to him. He looked back at her confusedly. "Where are you going to sleep?" she asked him.

"The couch." He said with a smile.

"Can you…um…can you stay here with me?" she whispered and looked up at him through her lashes shyly.

His jaw hung slightly as he stared at her in shock. He was pretty sure he drooled but he wasn't about to check. "Er, okay." He said as he finally snapped out of his daze just as Bella was beginning to fear his rejection.

She had just looked so tempting to him in that second.

He crawled into the bed beside her. They laid facing each other. He suddenly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her to his own body. She gasped at his sudden movement. His fingers were in her hair; pushing it backwards to reveal her neck. "I just want to try something." He murmured as he looked into her brown eyes. They were pulsating with emotions he couldn't place.

He moved his mouth closer to her neck. He was lying on his side with his right hand holding her left shoulder as his left hand was in her hair. She gasped and whimpered as she clenched her eyes shut…waiting. She could feel him getting closer and she tried to squirm away but he held her firmly.

Her entire body was shaking as she waited for him to bite her—hard enough to make her bleed—or begin to choke her. It never happened.

Edward carefully skimmed his lips over her pulse spot. Her skin was soft and warm and she smelled amazing. She let out a shuddering breath as he pressed his lips against her neck more firmly. Goosebumps erupted from her skin and she shivered. The way he pressed his lips against her neck felt _good._

"I won't hurt you." He whispered again and again as he placed more kisses on her neck. He pulled away shortly after; when he was sure she trusted him just a little bit more. He placed his head on her pillow. She bit her lips to keep from crying at his sweetness. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her body to his. He caged her in his own arms; nuzzling her neck. "Goodnight Bella." He whispered.

"Goodnight Edward." She said just as quietly.

**A/N: I know I know. This is the longest chapter in this story…it's not exactly a miracle…I've written longer ones well into 5k + words…but it just sucks the life out of you.**

**Don't get used to it by the way…just saying…maybe…if you're nice and leave a review, I'll see about writing longer chapters.**

**BTW I can't cook for shit so idk about some of the 'cooking stuff'. I have actually set butter on fire…wait for it…IN THE MICROWAVE.**

**Yeah…kind of sad…and don't ask me how I did it 'cause I have no freaking clue.**

**Major drama coming up my peeps…don't ask what it is…I won't tell you.**

**Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

He watched her sleep. The soft reddish glow of the alarm clock created an almost demonic aura around her. He realized that she was very naïve. He also realized that he would have to teach her a lot before he could trust that she would be able to make her own decisions. He had been living on his own since he was 15. He knew more about the world then she did. He knew that he had to protect her no matter what it would cost himself.

Her lips began to tremble again as she muttered to herself in her sleep. He smoothed her hair away from her face and rested his hand on her warm cheek. The little pucker between her eyebrows had begun to form once again.

She shiver ripped through her small body and she pushed herself closer to his body. Her arms were still wound tightly around his neck and he could feel her hands balling up into fists as she clutched his t-shirt tightly. Her arms continued to tighten around him.

She had finally found a place where she fit perfectly. The contours of his chest and of his body fit like a missing puzzle piece against the curves of her own body. He was afraid for her. He was afraid that she was having a nightmare and that she needed someone to hold onto. He was concerned that a memory was taking over her mind and drowning her in the darkness.

She whimpered. "Please." She begged softly. He pulled away from her lightly.

"Bella?" He whispered.

"I need it!" She cried. Her hands were suddenly balled into fists and pushing against his chest. Heavy tears streamed down the sides of her face and disappeared into her hair.

"Bella!" He called fiercely as his palms found her hot cheeks wet with sweat.

With her hands, she used his chest as leverage to roll onto her back. Her body curled away from him. He sat up onto his knees and leaned over her. Placing his left hand besides her head, he held himself up as he used his right hand to grasp onto her shoulder. He gently shook her. "Bella!" He called again, louder this time.

Her eyes flew open with a gasp as she took in the glowing green of his worried eyes. She clenched her eyes shut so that the tears that blurred her vision would fall. "C-can I use the bathroom?" She begged.

"Bella?" He asked incredulously.  
"Please…I'll be good I promise." She sobbed. "I need to…really bad." She pleaded with him. "I'll do anything you want." She whispered as her voice grew thicker with tears. "I won't scream." She promised.

He swallowed thickly and shook his head as if to clear it. "Bella." He shushed softly.

The hand that had shaken her shoulder, dipped underneath her to pull her up by her back. Once she was sitting up, Edward climbed off of the bed and stood beside her. He picked her up gently and hugged her close as he made his way to the bathroom.

He set her down on the soft carpeting and turned to leave. She grabbed onto his arm with both hands. "Don't leave me." She whimpered.

He turned to her—gathering her hands in his own—and said, "I'll be right outside." His voice was soothing and calm and yet his eyes were tumultuous and raven black with disgust. Jacob had actually _deprived_ her of using the bathroom for his own sick pleasure.

With a clenched jaw, he laid a soft kiss against her salty forehead, before turning and leaving. He shut the door behind him softly and began to pace with uneven footsteps. After only a minute he heard the toilet flushing and her voice softly calling his name.

He entered quickly, sighing upon seeing dried tears. She had stopped crying. He picked her up off the floor and set her on the sink, much like the first day. He quickly turned on the faucet and grabbed a hand towel from the towel rack.

He put it under the stream of cool water and moved to press it against her cheek. She automatically turned her face the other way so that it would be harder for him to smother her with the towel.

"Bella." He called softly.

She turned her head back and looked at him. With his free hand, he softly grasped her chin to hold her in place. She gasped and immediately tried to squirm out of his light grasp. He shushed her softly so that she would stop her movements.

Slowly—so that he wouldn't scare her—he pressed the cloth to her chin and wiped the sweat and tears off of her skin. He made his way up until the cloth was over her mouth and nose. Once her skin there was clean he moved the cloth to her bruised cheek. She breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't try to smother her.

She watched him as his brow furrowed as he worked over her face. The coolness of the cloth was heavenly against her over heated skin. Once her face was clean he moved onto her neck.

Because of the height provided by the bathroom sink, the top of her head reached the bridge of his nose, making it easier to reach her neck with the cloth.

When he had finished with the cloth, he dropped it into the sink. He pressed his palm against her unbruised cheek and leaned down to kiss her neck. He trailed his nose up the webs of bluish veins visible beneath her translucent skin. His mouth paused at her ear. "What did I say earlier?" He asked softly before pulling away.

She looked down at her fingers before mumbling, "You won't hurt me." It was so quiet he almost didn't hear it.

"I always keep my promises Bella." He said.

She took a deep breath before speaking. "You can't make promises like that."

He nudged her head up and looked at her confusedly. "Why not?"

She shook her head and raised her arms; wrapping them around his neck and pressing her face into his chest. She wrapped her legs around his torso and felt it as he sighed in frustration. He lifted her up easily and flicked off the bathroom light quickly before making his way to the bedroom.

He set her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. By the time he was beneath the covers and had his arms wrapped around her, she had already fallen asleep.

This time—with proof of his kindness in her mind—she was at peace in her sleep. Her dreams consisted of Edward and his smiles and his sweet sentiments. Her dreams were of Alice and her strange quirks.

It wasn't until Edward saw the small smile on her face that he realized that she was having a happy dream. He rejoiced silently as he watched her snuggle herself into his chest more. Her body was warm and soft and all kinds of perfect. She was beautiful and sweet.

He began to wonder if she would need therapy because of what had happened to her. He wondered if she would need help in order to come to terms with what had happened to her. He would not be able to live with himself if he let her past consume her until she was nothing but a shell of a once vibrant human being.

He let his eyelids drop over his eyes allowing sleep to darken his eyes and warm him with sweet relief. He was startled awake with a loud thump as he hit his bedroom floor. He groaned and reached up to rub the back of his head.

He looked down at his chest, where Bella was clinging to him like a spider; still asleep. Despite his now aching head he smiled. He hadn't fallen off the bed since he was two.

Looking up at his nightstand he saw that it was just after 3 in the morning. Wrapping his arms around her back, he carefully got up and placed her in the middle of the bed. As he pried her fingers off of his shirt he heard the threads that held it together ripping. He gently set her arms down. Her long fingers twitched and scratched at his bed sheet before they dug into the soft fabric.

He rubbed his eyes, knowing that he would be unable to go back to sleep once more. It was not unusual for him to sleep only a few hours every night. His brain just never stopped working.

He eyed the toiletry items that Alice had bought for Bella. It was spread out over the top of the large wooden chest in the corner of the room. He moved all of the items to the bathroom before making his way back to his bedroom. Sparing one last glance at her, he walked out of his bedroom.

Making his way down the hall he turned into his office. He sat down on his high backed leather chair. He flipped through Aro's case file, trying to determine if there was anything he could have possibly missed. After a few hours, he had read and reread the file; finding nothing he slammed the folder shut and rubbed the back of his head.

He stood up and stretched his sore back. Noting that it was just a little bit after 8 in the morning, he decided to go for a run. He walked back to his bedroom and pushed his door open. He froze then, staring wide eyed at the sight in front of him.

"I thought you left." Bella whispered as a strangled sob escaped her chest; clearly against her will. She was sitting on the floor at the foot of his bed with her legs curled up to her chest as she rocked back and forth.

He cautiously walked to where she was seated and knelt down in front of her. He gently placed his arms around her and held her to his own body. "I was in my study." He whispered to her; afraid that the force of his normal voice would cause her to shatter.

"I-I w-woke up an-and y-ou weren't there." She said through her tears. "I tried to f-find you, b-but I c-couldn't—" She gasped and then sniffled; completely unable to finish her sentence because she was now full out sobbing. "Please don't leave m-me again." She begged him.

"I will never leave you. I'm sorry." He clenched his eyes shut and held her to his body protectively. He picked her up off of the floor and set her on the bed. As he was wiping away her tears his phone buzzed from its place on his nightstand.

Sighing in frustration, he picked it up, "Hello?" his voice held irritation.

"I need you to come down to the office. I need to talk to you about something." Alec said.

"Well can it wait a few hours?" Edward asked.

"It's about the Aro case." Alec justified.

Edward bit his tongue to keep himself from cursing at his boss. "Sure, I'll be right there." His jaw was clenched tightly as he hung up. "Fuck!" he cursed.

Bella screamed and jumped backwards; cowering away from him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'll be good." She sobbed as Edward stared at her in shock.

"Bella." He whispered as he pulled on her ankle until she was sitting on the edge of the bed. He pulled her into his arms. "I will _never_ hurt you." He pressed his lips against her forehead. He knew that he couldn't leave her alone. He would have to take her with him. After a few minutes, she had calmed down. "Are you in pain?"

She shook her head against his chest.

"Are you lying to me?" he questioned. He felt her shiver and try to squirm away from him in fear because she didn't tell him the truth and in her world if she didn't tell the truth she got punished. "It's okay, just tell me."

"It hurts a little." He smiled down at her.

"Liar." He whispered sadly. "Tell me."

She bit her lips. "It still hurts a lot."

"If I give you a painkiller, do you think you would be able to walk?" he asked gently.

She nodded her head against his chest.

"Would you like to come to the office with me?" he asked. "I don't want to leave you alone."

"Okay." She replied with a sniffle.

He got her a painkiller and after she drank it, he decided to shower whiles waiting for the effects of the painkiller to kick in.

When he got out he quickly tossed on a white t-shirt and his boxers before he walked into the bedroom, Bella was standing on the tips of her toes looking into the draw with all of her underwear in it.

He felt a low heat building inside of him. His skin grew hot as he looked at her small body stretched out like it was as she struggled to be able to look into the draw. She spun around to look at him when he cleared his throat. He saw a flash of deep blue before she hid it behind her back. Her face was turning a beautiful shade of red.

"Hi." She said softly before reaching her free hand up to tuck a curly lock of stray hair behind her ear. She was clearly embarrassed with the fact that he had put her underwear away let alone seen them.

He smiled at her crookedly. "The left a towel on the rack for you."

Her eyes glazed over as he smiled at her. She nodded her head at him before making her way around him with her clothes in hand. She left the bathroom door slightly open in case she needed his help with something.

He changed into his suit quickly. He hated the black material. It was suffocating and it hid who he truly was. It was boring. The Bureau wanted uniformity and that meant no personality. Edward loved the fact that he was just _so_ necessary to the Bureau. If he wanted to break the rules and solve a case differently than the other investigators, he could. He answered to no one and if it were up to him he would never have to wear a suit again.

He ran the towel through his hair until it stood on end in a silken mess yet somehow meeting in the middle.

Bella then emerged from the bathroom dressed in a flowing white dress. It swept all the way down to her feet and hid all of the bruises and scars that marred her legs. It was spaghetti strapped but the tangled mess of long curly hair that sat on her head draped over her arms covering most of the scars and bruises as well.

He smiled at her and she bit her lip shyly. His smile fell when he noticed that the large bruise on her face had not even begun to heal yet. "Alice didn't buy anything to cover that up." he said. He reached his arm out to her—only pausing when she flinched—and stroked her cheek softly.

"It's okay." She whispered as she looked up into his emerald green eyes. His hand was warm against her face. The calloused tips of his fingers gently scratched along her skin as he traced her cheekbone. She felt safe…for the first time in years…she felt safe.

"We should go." He said.

She nodded in answer.

"Do you need help going down the stairs? I could carry you?" he suggested.

Even though she wanted to be in his arms; warm, safe, and protected—she knew that she had to start doing things on her own. It was the only way she would be able to manage the pain.

"It's okay, I can walk." She said with a reassuring smile.

He hesitated but nodded. "I'll be downstairs whiles you finish up." he smiled crookedly at her before leaving her alone.

She looked in his closet and discovered that her shoes were there. She slipped on a pair of silver sandals before slowly making her way downstairs. Edward was waiting for her in the living room with two thermoses of steamy hot liquids. He handed one to her and said, "I'm sorry you didn't get to eat breakfast. I made you some tea."

She smiled at him gratefully. "It's okay." She paused. "At the house…I didn't eat often so I'm used to it." She continued to sip her tea.

Edward's eyes narrowed as breathed through his nose deeply in order to get his anger under control. He hated the fact that she was 'used to it'. He didn't want her to be 'used to it'.

He was going to kill Jacob. He then realized that there was a possibility that Jacob would be at work. He pushed the thought aside. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. He knew that if Jacob was indeed there and had seen and recognized Bella, Jacob would be unable to say or do anything without incriminating himself.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and led her to the front door. "Come on." He spoke softly as he swung the front door open.

She stepped into the sunlight and closed her eyes; basking in its warmth. He stared at her as she practically worshiped the sun. She opened her eyes when she sensed his stare. Looking at him, she spoke cautiously, as to not ignite his anger, "I haven't seen the sun in over two years."

He gritted his teeth and didn't respond. He didn't know what to say to that. He guided her down the steps and to his car, which was parked in front of his townhouse. He helped her in and then got into the driver's side. "Tell me about it." He prodded quietly as he pulled out onto the street.

"My room didn't have windows and they didn't let us outside. They thought we would try to escape." Her voice was hollow and unfeeling as if she thought that if she just recited what had happened to her without actually thinking about it, she wouldn't feel the pain of all of those memories once again. She stared out the window and watched as life passed outside; hating that for two whole years, she was unable to live it.

He reached over to her left arm but she flinched and instinctively pulled it away. He persisted however and grabbed her wrist. She looked at him with wide innocent and fearful eyes. She tried to squirm her arm away from his grip. Her wrist was so tiny in his large hands that she was certain that he could break it with no effort. "You're afraid of me." He said. His voice made her cower away. He pulled her stiff arm onto the center console and intertwined his fingers with hers. "Don't be." He said after looking forward back at the road.

He felt her relax eventually. Her fingers began to trace his knuckles. The softness of her fingertips felt heavenly against his rough skin.

As he parallel parked his car in front of the large office building where he worked, he heard her soft cries. He got out of the car and closed his door softly; not wanting the noise to scare her; not wanting her to think that he was angry with her. He walked to the passenger side of the car and opened her door for her. She stepped out and he shut the door behind her. She began to walk past him but he pushed her against the door gently.

He reached his hand up to her face and again she recoiled in fear. He sighed before reaching up again and placing his palm flat against her unbruised cheek. He wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumb. Leaning down, he placed his forehead against hers; forcing her to look into his eyes. "I will not hurt you." He whispered; pleading with her; wanting more than anything for her to believe him.

She looked away from him even though he held her face to his. "I know." She said softly.

"Do you?" he questioned. Her eyes flashed to his and the fear they held was his answer. He sighed and closed his eyes before breathing in deeply. His eyes flashed open then and their intensity almost made her shake. "I guess I'll just have to prove it to you." He said fiercely.

He pushed off of the car and wrapped his arm around her shoulder leading her into the front of the building. The bullet proof glass doors held the United States symbol. The majestic eagle stared down at them as if it were following them with its eyes.

He led her through the doors to the security check point. He told her to walk through the large doorway like sensor so she did as she was told. When she reached the other side she turned to look at Edward who was removing his gun from its holster as well as his watch and cell phone. He put it all in a plastic bin before walking through the metal detector. He reached the other side the same time his things did.

As he put them away, the security guard was eyeing the bruise on Bella's face. The large dark skinned man looked at Edward with a questioningly. Edward shook his head at the concerned old man silently telling him that there was nothing to be worried about.

Bella missed the entire exchange. She was too busy looking around her. The dark bluish black tiles on the floor as well as the leather furniture made the area look sophisticated and professional. Edward led her past the receptionists' desk—completely ignoring the sour faced woman who looked older then the United States itself.

Once inside the elevator, he pressed the button for the 22nd floor. The elevator made its way up quickly, stopping only to let in a large balding man with severe body odor. Bella pressed herself up into Edward's side. She was afraid of the harmless man.

Edward moved her so that she was standing on his other side with him in between her and the large stranger. She looked up at him gratefully. He smiled at her in return.

The large man got off on the 15th floor. As soon as the door's closed once again, she said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He answered.

The elevator dinged as its doors opened at the 22nd floor. The area was large and most of it was covered with small cubicles. People milled around, working on different cases.

Edward saw her eyes widen at the amount of people. He realized then that she was afraid of crowds. He held her hand firmly in his own as he led her down the hallway to where there was a little waiting room. The receptionist was a pretty girl of 23. She eyed Edward with a devious smile as she watched him approach.

"Could you wait here for a few minutes?" he asked Bella.

She nodded but didn't want him to leave her.

"If you need me just come in, okay?" he said.

"Okay." She said quietly. He reached into the front pocket of his suit jacket and removed his phone.

"If I'm taking too long, just call Alice. She'll come pick you up and you could spend time with each other." He offered her an apologetic smile before leaning down and kissing the cut on her cheekbone.

He walked to the large grey door and entered. As he closed it behind him, he cast her one last glance, hating that she was looking around herself in fear.

Alec was sitting at a large desk drumming his fingers impatiently. "Sir." Edward greeted.

Alec smiled. Edward could tell it was fake. "Edward…call me Alec…please."

Edward smiled stiffly, "Was there a problem with the Aro case…_sir_?" Edward enunciated the 'sir' to show that there was a line between them. It was formality.

Edward wouldn't let Alec into his personal life no matter how much Alec wanted to get to know the real Edward Cullen. It was just burning curiosity about the child prodigy turned genius. It wasn't because he actually had an interest in what went on in Edward's life. Edward was constantly trying to keep that line drawn clearly. But Alec was constantly attempting to cross that line.

Alec's plastic smile fell and he cleared his throat. He sighed deeply and frowned. The wrinkled lines on his face were more prominent when he frowned. "Someone from the Bureau hacked into the network and deleted the case file of Aro Volturi."

Edward blinked. "_What_?" he said disbelievingly.

Alec loosened his tie before clearing his throat once more. "Fortunately for us, the person who did this was a complete imbecile."

"How so?" Edward prodded. He hated that Alec always took forever to say what he needed to say.

"Firstly, they used their _own _ID code to access the file, so we know who did it. And…you know that when you delete something from your computer there are still ways for it to be recovered, right?"

Edward resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the old man who seemed like he either didn't care that Edward really needed to know what happened or he just didn't notice. "Right."

"The idiot hit the delete button on the keyboard thinking that the file would be gone forever." Alec stopped and coughed loudly before chuckling. "We recovered the file from the hard drive."

Edward sighed and relaxed into his chair. "Who was the guy?" he asked.

Alec paused looking at Edward with a strange expression on his face, "A forensics assistant. I doubt you'd know him. His name is Jacob Black." Edward's eyes widened. "What I don't understand is why he did it…" Alec finished.

**A/N: How old were you the last time you fell off your bed?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Edward clenched his fists. "Do you know why someone would do something so ignorant?" Alec questioned in wonder.

"Ignorant people do ignorant things, sir." Edward replied.

Alec laughed.

"Where is he?" Edward asked.

"Well we were waiting for you, thinking you might want to do the honors of arresting him since it was your case and you are understandably angry because the idiot tried to ruin all of your hard work." Alec chuckled.

Edward raised his eyebrows at him expectedly. The old man had not answered his question yet.

"He's in the lab." Alec said.

"He could have left by now." Edward stated as he made to get up.

Alec laughed. "The poor bastard doesn't suspect that we know anything. He probably thinks that if he leaves now he'll be attracting attention to himself." Alec shook his head and laughed again.

Sighing as he relaxed back into his seat, Edward knew that Alec was about to monopolize his time with meaningless conversation; trying to be inconspicuous about his prying yet failing miserably.

**OoO**

Bella felt his lips on her face. They were warm and gentle. He had kissed her cheek as if it were perfectly natural; as if he had been doing it for years. He walked away from her then. She couldn't understand the ache she felt building in her chest as he moved further and further away.

She looked around herself with wide fearful eyes. She hated crowds. There were too many people in crowds. Some of them could hurt her if she wasn't careful enough.

She slowly seated herself in one of the many chairs as to not agitate the raw flesh between her legs. The chair was soft, that much she was grateful for. She sat there twirling Edward's cell phone between her fingers.

She shifted uncomfortably every time an agent would walk by and give her a strange look. She looked down at Edward's cell phone thinking that even technology had moved forward and she missed it all. She didn't get to feel the rain on her skin in years. She hadn't seen the sun or felt the grass between her toes in so long she had forgotten what they felt like.

She sighed sadly, holding back tears and then looked up. She saw a large man walking towards her. Instinctively she cowered backwards away from the stranger. Taking a look at his face she saw that he had a jovial smile complete with a set of dimples. He stopped in front of her. "Hi there." He said with cheer.

"Hi." She spoke shyly.

"Are you lost?" he asked with concern.

"N-no. I'm waiting for someone." She answered.

"Oh okay." He flashed another smile before taking a seat besides her. She scooted as far away as possible from him as she could without falling off of her seat. "Who are you waiting for?" he asked. He was simply concerned. He was the only one of the agents who was brave enough to walk up to her. He was wondering about the bruise on her face and the ones visible on her arms.

"Edward." She said quietly as she stared down at the grey carpet. She had learned that she should never look into a man's eyes. She discovered that she had the ability to read their emotions and their questions. She didn't want to see immense rage or any angry emotion. She felt that if she didn't know it was coming, the punishment would hurt much less.

"Edward?" Emmett asked confusedly. She nodded. "Cullen? Edward Cullen?"

She nodded again. She wanted him beside her. She wanted him to make the large nosey man go away.

"Is he the one that put those bruises on your arms and on your face?" he asked her bluntly.

Her eyes flashed up and met his own. Incredulity seeped into her voice, "He would never do something like this."

The dimpled man nodded his head. "Then who did it?" he asked.

She continued to stare at him. "I don't think it's any of your business." Her glare ceased when she heard the door leading to the office behind her shut. She turned around to look at Edward. He smiled at her.

"Hey Emmett." He greeted the nosey man with ease.

"Hey man." Emmett responded. The casualty in his voice was forced and Edward heard it. Edward knew then that Emmett had enquired about the bruises on Bella's face and had not gotten a straight answer from her.

Edward turned to Bella. "I hope he didn't bother you too much. Emmett doesn't know when to shut up." He offered her a lopsided grin as he reached his hand out to help her stand. She took it without hesitation and he felt his heart swell with pride knowing that she was moving closer and closer to recovery.

Emmett stood as well. Edward didn't fail to notice that Emmett had briefly glanced at his knuckles, knowing that if Edward had hit Bella there would be scabs and cuts there.

There weren't any.

Emmett looked up at Edward with a questioning look. Edward and Emmett were best friends and they had worked on numerous cases with each other. Edward knew that he could trust Emmett with his secret. Edward nodded at Emmett and mouthed, 'later.'

Bella had once again missed another exchange concerning the bruises on her skin. She had, however, noticed that there was an old man standing behind Edward.

Bella tugged on Edward's sleeve. When he focused his attention on her once again, she looked at him with questioning eyes before looking at the man behind Edward.

Edward turned to the man and introduced him to Bella as Captain Alec Masen.

"Hi there my dear." Alec said with a smile. Bella could see that it was genuine. She chanced a look at the man's eyes. They were a dull brown. She thought that they were much like her own…dull…flat…boring. She could see curiosity. She saw no anger, just…curiosity.

"Hello sir." Bella responded shyly as she hid half of her body behind Edward's. Alec suppressed a grimace at her use of the formality. He had never hated formalities so much in his entire life.

He was once again filled with a burning curiosity about Edward Cullen. It was because of the bruises on Bella's face.

Sensing Bella's discomfort Edward said, "I'll meet you at the lab in an hour." He was addressing both Alec and Emmett.

Alec protested. "Why not go now and get the questioning done sooner rather than later?"

"Because Bella hasn't eaten anything for over twelve hours and her well being comes before some ignorant lab rat who isn't going anywhere." Edward said to the old man.

Emmett looked between Edward and Alec. "Wait, what are we talking about?" Emmett was also working on the case with Edward.

"Captain Masen will fill you in whiles I go get Bella some breakfast." Edward stated.

"Alright then." Alec said with slight irritation. The old man turned to Emmett and led him into his office to discuss it in private.

Edward took Bella's hand in his and led her down an intersecting hallway. "I have to talk to you about something." He spoke softly so only she could hear him.

She was suddenly filled with dread because his voice was serious and she knew that if she looked into his eyes she would see a similar emotion. She clung to his arm then, "Okay." She said softly. She was afraid that she did something wrong. In her mind, Edward was leading her to a punishment because of what she had done wrong. She held his arm because she felt that it might assuage his anger.

He stopped in front of some sliding glass doors and they swung open quickly for him. The room was large and the floor was still the monotonous grey carpet. A large mahogany desk sat in one corner of the room with a high backed leather chair behind it. There were book shelves filled with volumes on the wall opposite. There was a couch on the wall adjacent to the desk and above it sat a large flat screen TV.

Edward walked over to the large glass window that looked out to the hallway. He pulled the shade down so that no one could see them. It was just a precaution.

Most agents could read lips and he didn't want to take a chance and let anyone know who she was. She would most likely be taken into 'protective custody'. He mentally scoffed at what they called it. She would pretty much sit in a dimly lit room with grey walls and a metal desk and chair and do nothing but stare at those four walls until she cracked and said something that would put her in grave danger.

He turned to her then to find her backing away from him slowly. "I'm sorry." She whimpered.

He took a step towards her, wanting to comfort her but she cried out again, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to!" she cried and sobbed into her hands. She balled her hands into fists and attempted to stop her cries by pressing her fists against her lips. She could feel the skin inside of her mouth rub against her teeth. The flesh began to tear as she pressed her fists against her mouth harder and she could taste a familiar metallic taste in her mouth.

She hiccupped and gasped as she tried to control herself. But she couldn't. She was afraid of Edward. He was so much larger then Jacob. Edward was well over a foot taller than she was; standing at 6'4'' and weighing in at 220 pounds of pure muscle.

He took another step closer to her but she backed away from him until her back hit the wall. She felt trapped then. "Please don't punish me too bad." She whimpered. He stared at her in shock. He had no idea what to say or what to do. She slid down the wall and pulled her legs up to her chest. She rocked back and forth. "Please don't." she repeated those words over and over again like a mantra.

He saw blood leak from the corner of her mouth. He realized then that he had to do something so he made his way over to her slowly. The closer he got, the more she pushed herself into the wall as if she was wishing it would suck her in like a black hole.

He got down on his knees in front of her and reached his arms out. She whimpered and tried to disappear into the wall behind her. But he persevered like he had in the car ride over and grabbed her shoulders. She looked at him with wide fearful eyes and had her bottom lip between her teeth.

Normally that action would have made his pants a little tighter but it was different now. Her teeth were biting into her lip so hard it had turned white. He knew that if she continued it would bleed. He slid his left hand up from her shoulder to her neck to hold her still. He cupped her face with his right hand and she knew that she had nowhere to go. He moved his thumb across her skin gently before freeing her bottom lip from the torturous grasp of her teeth.

He cleaned the blood off of her chin with the tip of his black tie.

He looked into her eyes trying to find the real Bella who was buried behind the memories of her torture. He swallowed back a lump in his throat as he saw that her eyes were dilated. He realized then that she was back there. She was back in that tiny windowless room awaiting an unjust punishment…waiting for some sadistic man to come in and use her for their own pleasure; leaving her bleeding and bruised in the end.

"Bella." He whispered; calling to her. Her breaths were coming short and quick. He was afraid that she was going to start hyperventilating. He pulled her closer to his body. She struggled but he was stronger. She eventually lost her strength and collapsed into him. He pulled back from her to examine her face. "Bella." He called to her again.

Her eyes—which had been closed—fluttered open tiredly. "Edward?" she opened her eyes fully and he was relieved to see that they were once again back to their deep reddish brown color.

"Bella." He gasped and pulled her closer. He kissed the top of her head and lifted her up off of the floor. He sat down on the couch with her lying across his lap. She buried her face in his neck and reached up to his hair. She intertwined her fingers into his soft bronze locks and tugged softly. The only thing stopping him from moaning out loud because of her fingers in his hair was the fact that her body was shaking against his with silent sobs.

Eventually she sniffled and pulled away from him. He wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry." She apologized.

He smiled at her sadly. "Please don't apologize to me."

She forced a smile and sniffled. "But I ruined your suit."

He smiled a genuine smile at her. He knew that sooner or later she was going to explode. He was glad that she was doing it bit my bit because if it happened all at once she would destroy herself and anyone and anything else in her way.

He was glad that a little bit of the weight that sat on her shoulders that constantly had her fearing for her life had been lifted away.

He remembered then that he had something important to tell her. He looked at her with a serious expression. "I have to tell you something but I'm afraid of how you'll take it."

She gulped and put on a mask of bravery. "Tell me."

He sighed and looked down at her lap. "Someone…someone hacked into the Bureau's network and deleted the case file of Aro Volturi."

Bella's breathing sped up. "W-what? Who did it?"

"Jacob Black." He spoke without hesitating. He was afraid that if he didn't say it immediately he would never build up the courage to do it. He felt her begin to shake in his arms. "We have however recovered the file."

She let out a big whooshing breath of relief.

"In a few minutes I'm going to arrest Jacob but I wanted to ask you to do one thing."

Bella had a feeling of impending doom. "What is it?" she asked quietly.

"He will be taken to an interrogation room. There is a one way mirror in the room. I would like you to be there when I interrogate him."

Bella looked down at her fingers immediately knowing the reason behind his hesitant request. "You want me to find closure."

She saw Edward nod in her peripheral vision.

She looked up at him and saw that he really did want her to get better. She knew that she had to do this. "Are you hungry?" he asked her even though he already knew that answer.

She nodded her head. He stood up and set her down on the couch before walking over to his desk. He picked up the bland grey office phone and dialed a number. "Hey Martha, its Edward. Could you bring the cart to my office?...Thanks…bye." he hung up then and walked over to where she was seated. He sat down beside her. "I'm going to leave you here until we can get...him...into custody." He pulled her into his arms when he saw that she was fearful at the mention of Jacob's name.

He rested his head on her shoulder and whispered into her ear, "He will never hurt you again. I promise you." He kissed the spot underneath her ear and felt her shiver against him. He pulled back slightly and looked into her eyes. His eyes were fierce and for a brief second she feared him. But the soft touch of his palm to her cheek quickly dissolved her fear.

"I will make sure he suffers though." Edward's voice was hard and unwavering in his decision. "I will make sure he suffered like you suffered…but worse…much much worse." She took in a large breath of air.

The protectiveness in his voice startled her. She heard something else there however. It was fiercer than protectiveness. It was a strong unbreakable bond between two people. It was everlasting and indestructible in its strength and power. She had heard it in his voice. It was there; as strong and true as the pulse that thumped through her body. But she wasn't sure she believed it no matter how convincing his velvety smooth voice sounded as his love for her wrapped around his words; strengthening his resolute decision.

He loved her. Even though it was as clear as the sky in the eye of the storm; it was hard for her to actually believe that Edward loved her. It was difficult for her to understand. She had never been loved before. Yes, Alice loved her. Carlisle and Esme loved her. Her parents had also loved her. But it wasn't the same as the love between a man and a woman.

She knew that Jacob didn't love her. Jacob was twisted and demented. Some of his actions were too sadistic for her to remember. She had blocked it out.

She felt hot tears pool in her eyes. They burned her before rolling down her cheeks. She didn't understand Edward. She wanted to. She wanted to _so_ badly. She wanted to understand the love she heard in his voice. She wanted to understand what he could possibly love about her; what he could possibly see in her that made her worthy of him.

When she had looked in the mirror that morning, she saw a broken woman. She saw someone scarred and tainted with memories of the most sadistic and horribly painful things. She saw someone who wasn't pure; having participated in many unspeakable acts—unwillingly, yes—but she felt as if it didn't matter…she did it anyways.

He pulled her face closer to his. His thumb moved across her cheeks, wiping away the salty tears that fell from her eyes. "Why are you crying?" his voice was sad; his dismay, clear.

She thought for a moment before deciding on an answer. She knew she might be punished but she didn't want him to know the depth of her pain. She wanted to hold onto what she had heard in his voice for just a little while longer. She wanted to hope for a better future. She wanted to at least be able to imagine it before the carpet was ripped from right under her feet.

"I can't tell you…I'm sorry." She began to sob in fear as she leaned her forehead against his shoulder.

"Shhh. It's alright. You can tell me when you're ready." He kissed her cheek.

She cried harder. The strength of her sadness shook her body in mighty heaves as she gasped for air through her tears. "Why me?" she asked his shoulder. She didn't want it to slip out…but it did anyways. Her voice was strangled because of the lump of emotion that had formed in her throat.

He clenched his eyes shut before opening them. "It's not your fault. It's them. Those sick and twisted men. It is not your fault that it happened. It was fate." He scoffed. "Fucking fate." He muttered.

She shook her head against his shoulder. He didn't understand what she had mistakenly spoken. "Not that." she groaned through her tears.

She pulled away from his shoulder and sat up. Her legs were on either side of his body and her hands rested on his muscled shoulders. She saw the confused look on his face…in his eyes. Her hands unconsciously slid up to his hair. She intertwined her fingers in his locks and he suppressed a groan as she leaned her forehead against his. Her tears fell on his chin; some pooled in the corner of his mouth as she cried and clutched his head to her own. "Why me Edward?" she asked him. Begging him for an answer. "Why did you choose me? Of all the girls there, why me?" she sobbed and pulled at his hair. "What could you _possibly _have seen in me?" she cried. "Can't you see that I'm broken? Can't you see that I'm scarred? _Can't you see_?" she begged him to see before he got his hopes up.

He took no time in responding. "No. I don't see any of that." She raised her eyes to meet his penetrating stare. "I see someone strong…someone who has been through more than anything _anyone_ should _ever_ have to go through." He kissed her forehead. "Can't _you_ see?" he asked her; throwing her words back at her. "Can't _you_ see that you're the most amazing person I have ever met?" he clenched his jaw before spitting out between his teeth, "or did he break you that much."

She gasped and held her breath willing the tears away. "I fucking _know_ that he didn't break you." She turned her head away from his green stare. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "If he did, you would have stopped fighting a _long_ time ago."

She sniffled and swallowed against the ever growing lump in her throat. "But why me?" she asked, defeated.

He sighed; frustrated. He wasn't frustrated at her…he was frustrated because he didn't know how to answer her question without scaring her. He decided that he might as well just tell her. He fixed his gaze on the blinking lights on his office phone.

"I did it because I saw that you were selfless." He paused. "Aro…He had told me that…that you brought in all the customers." He said the last part quietly. "By just being there, you saved countless other girls from being…_tortured_." He looked into her eyes then as if to prove a point. "I saw it in your eyes…fuck they were so sad…I saw that you were nearing your breaking point. I knew that if you reached that point…you'd snap and probably…do something to hurt yourself…or kill yourself."

He looked away from her then; suddenly shy. "I didn't think I would be able to live with myself if that happened to you."

He felt the grip she had on his shoulders tighten in silent yearning for him to speak to her face, not to her lap. He looked up to her with incredulous eyes. "I don't think you realize…how important…or necessary you are to some people. I don't think you realize that there's just something _about_ you that makes people want you…that makes people need you."

She bit into her lips before releasing it. There was a wet trail on it. Edward clenched his fists against her back. He hated himself for finding her so alluring. "Do you?" she asked suddenly.

He swallowed audibly before responding. "Do I what?"

She hesitated and looked at the buttons on his shirt. "Do you want me? Or need me?" she asked him shyly as she reached out to fiddle with the knot of his tie.

Panic shot through him. He knew that he couldn't lie to her because she always knew when someone was lying. "Yes." He felt the panic continue to build inside of him.

"Which one?" she whispered as she continued to play with the knot.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He had been waiting for her to explode and try to run as far away from his as she could. "Both." He whispered back.

She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know why but suddenly she felt lighter—as if even more of the weight that had been sitting on her shoulders had just melted away. "Oh." She replied. A rosy blush began to blossom along her high cheekbones, spreading down her neck, and turning an even deeper shade of red as she contemplated revealing her new found discovery. She decided to just say it. "I do too." She whispered.

He felt his heart stop and then jump start; thumping so wildly he was sure she could hear it. "Which one?" he repeated her words breathlessly.

She spoke without hesitation. "Both."

**My friends call me 'sir' all the time. Don't ask me why. I think it's because their weird…or psychotic…maybe both. But I will assure you, I do not have a penis…just in case you were wondering.**

**Has anyone ever called **_**you**_** 'sir'?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

He let out a breath. He had feared that she would take his revelation badly. "Oh." He responded.

"What now?" she whispered as she tugged on his tie.

He sighed. "I don't know." There was a knock on wall besides the sliding glass door. He looked at her before sliding her off of his lap and onto the couch. He stood up and walked to the door. It swung open and the breakfast cart was there. He peaked his head out the room to see Martha making her way down the hallway. She had seen Bella and Edward and decided to give them privacy.

Edward stepped outside and rolled the cart back into his office. Bella watched as he spread butter onto a toasted bagel and then prepared a cup of tea for her in his coffee mug. He made his way to where she was seated and gave her the food. She smiled when she saw what the writing on his coffee mug said. In bold red letters it said, 'Vote for Pedro'.

She ate her breakfast silently as she tried to ignore Edward who was staring at her with a small smile on his face. She didn't know that he was just happy that she seemed happy. That was all he wanted—her to be happy. She finished her tea and ate only half her bagel. He frowned upon seeing that. "You don't want anymore?" he questioned as she placed the other half on the little table besides the couch.

"I'm not used to eating so much." She said quietly.

He shook his head in disbelief as he bit his tongue; holding back a string of profanities that would most likely scare her. He sighed. "Are you sure you're okay with seeing him?" he questioned with concern.

She took a deep breath. "I'll be fine." She offered him a half-smile even though she was dreading seeing Jacob. He had done heinous things to her…she was used to fearing for her life around him.

He hesitated before getting to his feet. He stood in front of her; looking down at her with probing eyes. She stared back—trying her best to put a brave look on her face. "You're lying." He whispered.

She looked away from him, down at her fingers. She picked at her cuticles to occupy herself. She felt his calloused hand on her cheek. He stroked her temple with his thumb before leaning down and kissing her cheek. His lips lingered there for a few seconds and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

He pulled back slowly until he was standing tall before her. He sent her a sad smile. "Don't be." He continued to rub her temple; worshiping her soft skin. "You don't have to do this."

She looked up at him. His green eyes were shining with his love. She looked away; stunned by the potent emotion in his eyes. "I want to." She spoke truthfully. She knew that after everything Jacob had done to her, she had to see his downfall. She had to witness his destruction for her to truly put her past and her memories behind her.

"I'll be right back." Edward whispered. He turned around and walked out of his office, leaving her to prepare herself to see Jacob.

He walked down the hallway and took a quick glance at his watch. It was a few minutes after 10 o'clock. When he reached the lab, he immediately saw Emmett and Alec waiting for him.

"Eddie? What the fuck happened man? Did you have a make out session or somethin'?" Emmett's loud voice echoed through the hallway.

Edward paused in front of him with a confused look on his face. "What are you talking about?" his voice was exasperated.

"Dude. You're hair is even more fucked up than usual."

Edward self consciously reached his hand up to his head. He smoothed his hair back only to have it rebelliously return to its state of chaos. "Shut up," was his comeback.

Emmett feigned hurt and grabbed his chest. "Oh no!" he breathed dramatically. "Your wit just kills me!" Emmett staggered back and forth, nearly knocking over a lab technician who carefully skirted her way around him.

Edward rolled his eyes at his antics whiles Alec simply observed Edward's interaction with Emmett.

Alec had done some research on child prodigies and discovered that most of them were extremely introverted. Edward seemed perfectly normal, as if he wasn't a genius with a photographic memory.

"Well, let's get started shall we?" Alec spoke.

Emmett's movements ceased and he cleared his throat. "Sure."

They made their way to the entrance for one of the many labs. The lab where Jacob worked mainly tested for biological forensic evidence. The lab door slid open as the sensor recognized their presence. "Hey Jasper." Alec greeted the tall man with wild blond hair and kind blue eyes.

"Hello sir." Jasper responded as he set down the scrap of cloth in his hands. Edward smirked as he heard Alec mumble underneath his breath, 'enough with the _sir_'. "What can I help ya'll with?" Jasper asked as he looked at the three men.

"We're looking for Jacob. Ya seen him?" Emmett questioned.

"Yeah. Hey Jake!" Jasper called.

A man with dark skin came out from the storage closet that held extra chemical indicators the lab didn't use. "Yeah?" Jacob asked.

"A.D.'s lookin' for ya." Jasper explained.

Edward saw Jacob clench his fist and his jaw. He glared at Jasper who looked at him confusedly. Edward saw that Jacob _clearly_ had anger issues. He felt his blood begin to boil as he thought of what Jacob had done to Bella. "Yeah?" Jacob said as he turned his head away from Jasper to Alec.

Edward scoffed as he realized that Jacob was playing the oblivious card; pretending that he had no idea what was going on. "We need to talk to you." Edward said.

"Well does it have to be now? I'm…I'm working on something." Edward saw through Jacob's lie easily.

"It wasn't a request asshole." Edward clarified. "You're under arrest."

**OoO**

Edward watched as Jacob tapped his fingers on the cold metal table. His anxiety was evident as his tapping increased in pace. Edward stared at Jacob's hands; knowing what they had done to Bella. He had the urge to shove it into a blender and pulse it into tiny little chunks, all while listening to Jacob's screams of terror and pain.

"How long are you going to leave him in there before questioning him?" Alec asked from behind Edward.

Edward sighed. "A while." He said vaguely.

"He doesn't want a lawyer?" Alec asked.

"Says he doesn't need one." Edward replied as he tilted his head to the side, observing Jacob.

The door that led into the little room behind the one way mirror opened suddenly. "Sir?" a small man with large glasses spoke to Alec. "You have a conference call scheduled with the Director of our Chicago field office."

Alec grimaced. He didn't want to miss watching Edward at work interrogating. "I'm sure you boys can handle this degenerate. Make sure you record everything." Alec spoke to Edward and Emmett. They ignored him as he left.

Edward turned to the technician operating the recording system. "Why don't you go get a cup of coffee?" Edward suggested.

"Fuck man. You always do this." The man stood up and took his head set off. He pressed a few buttons. "I locked the system. I'll know if you tampered with it." The man cautioned Edward.

"I know." Edward responded.

"What the fuck do you in here when you make me leave?"

Edward turned and smirked at the man. "If I tell you, it defeats the purpose of making you leave, now doesn't it?"

The man stared at him blankly. "Smartass." He turned and walked out of the room.

"So." Emmett began. "Tell me about Bella."

Edward shook his head. "Long fucking story man." He sighed. He grabbed one of the chairs from the corner of the room and placed it in front of the mirror. Emmett followed his actions and sat down heavily.

"We've got time." Emmett said as he looked at the imaginary watch on his wrist. Edward chuckled at him. "Alright. Let's start easy. Where and how did you meet her?"

Edward turned to look at Emmett. "I…I saw her at Volterra."

Emmett's head snapped up to look at Edward. "You…_what_?"

"She was one of the…um…women there."

"I don't understand."

"She was one of the…_slaves_." Edward clarified softly. He saw Emmett's Adams apple bob up and down as he swallowed thickly. "I…I saw her and I just couldn't leave her there…so I bought her."

"Dude." Emmett said in disbelief.

"Remember a couple of years ago? I went on a short leave…something with my sister?" Edward asked.

"Yeah."

"Well. Her best friend had disappeared. Her parents were murdered and the police thought that the girl had run away when she discovered the bodies."

"Where are you going with this?" Emmett asked.

Edward cleared his throat. "Well…the girl didn't run away. She was kidnapped by Felix…one of Aro's men."

Emmett began to put the pieces together. "Bella...Bella? Isabella Swan?" Edward nodded his head. "Whoa. That's the biggest fucking coincidence right?"

"I know."

"Did you tell Alice?"

"Of course I told Alice." Edward paused. "I shouldn't be the one who interrogates Black."

"Why not?" Emmett asked.

Edward sighed. "Bella…she was a favorite among the other girls in Volterra. One person in particular had been obsessed with her."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It was Jacob." Edward spoke through clenched teeth. "I'll beat the little shit into pulp if I go into that room." Edward threatened.

"Fuck, I'll video tape it and put it on YouTube." Emmett said with a nervous chuckle. He had never seen Edward so angry.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose between his index finger and his thumb. "What do I do?" he groaned.

"You go in there."

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Edward asked.

"Of course I did. I think that if you question him, if you get him to say something that gets him in trouble…you'll feel so much better than if you watch me lock that piece of shit in jail."

Edward nodded, understanding his reasoning. "I have to get Bella first."

"Why?"

"Because she needs to see him get locked up more than I do." Edward stated as he stood and exited the small room.

He made his way to his office. The doors slid open and as soon as he stepped inside he realized that it smelled like Bella. He inhaled deeply and his senses were assaulted by the scent of strawberries, vanilla, and sugar.

His teenaged mind briefly wondered if that was what she tasted like…her skin…her lips…her tongue…her wetness.

He suppressed a groan when he looked at her. She was sitting cross-legged on his office chair. Her lips were wrapped around a strawberry as she ate it absentmindedly. She was facing the wall with the large TV and she was watching the history channel. She turned to look at him when she sensed his presence. Her eyes were wide and innocent and her lips were stained red with strawberry juice. She licked at them before smiling up at him. "Hi." She said softly.

"Hey."

"Martha came in and turned the TV on for me. She called you some bad names and then she took the breakfast cart and left."

"Er…" Edward couldn't think of anything else to say. He walked over to her. "Are you ready?"

She looked away. "I don't think I'll ever be ready…but…let's go." he helped her off of his chair and led her out to the hallway. He held her hand tightly in his as he made his way to the interrogation room. He opened the door and led her into the room behind the one way mirror. She slowly made her way to the glass and pressed her hand against it.

She stared at the man that made her life hell for the past two years. She hated him. She hated him with a passion. He had humiliated her. He had done sadistic things to her. He had scarred her body and her mind.

She felt Edward's presence behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her to him. He could feel her breaths slow down as her anger began to dissipate. She sighed deeply before turning around in his arms. She looked up at him with watery eyes. "P-Please put him in jail for me." She begged him. He held her as she cried into his suit.

She sniffled and pulled away from him. "He's going to jail for a very long time Bella." Edward reassured her.

He pulled away from her and set her down on one of the chairs he had pulled up to the mirror. Emmett sat down besides her. Edward kissed her cheek and whispered, "Watch." He turned and walked out of the room after grabbing a pen and a pad of paper.

She saw the door leading into the other room open and Edward walked in. He walked to the table as if he had all the time in the world. He sat down and dropped the pad of paper on the table. He began to write something down…again…taking his time to do it. After a few seconds he made a scratching motion on the notepad with his pen.

He chuckled then and looked up at Jacob for the first time. "Sorry. Ran out of ink." Edward stood slowly and walked out of the room. A few seconds later the door in the small dark room opened and Edward entered.

"Edward. Cut that shit out or he's gonna piss himself."

Bella looked up at Edward confused. He was staring at Jacob with his hands on his hips. "I'm going to get him some coffee." Edward stated.

"What? Why?" Emmett questioned.

"He'll need to use the bathroom eventually." Edward looked down at Bella. "But I won't let him." Bella's eyes widened. "When I said that I'd make him suffer through everything he did to you but worse…I was serious." He stared into Bella's eyes.

He could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes. Her eyes were stunned and yet he could see the gratitude in them. He leaned down once more and kissed her forehead. "I never told you that he did that to me." She whispered.

He looked into her eyes and flashed her a crooked grin. "It was easy to figure out." His grin fell as he looked pensive for a second. He leaned down and pressed his lips against her temple. He stood and walked to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee. He stirred in some milk and sugar before making his way to the door.

"Wait Edward." Emmett called.

"Hmm?" Edward asked.

"Didn't you need another pen?"

Edward grinned crookedly, "Nope. I just like seein' him squirm."

**A/N: Okay…next chapter is the interrogation. I promise.**

**And do any of you guys say, "Don't be such a Debbie Downer."?**

'**Cause it's kinda weird…I mean…just think about it…**

**Please review.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Wow. Take a look at this monstrosity…hehe…I know 4 k words aren't that much but still.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Bella watched as Edward entered the other room once more. He walked over to where Jacob was sitting and set the coffee cup down with a loud _clang_.

Edward walked to the opposite side and sat down and began to write again. As he wrote he asked Jacob, "Do you know why you're here?"

Jacob shifted in his seat before folding his hands on top of the cold metal table. "No sir."

Edward chuckled humorlessly. "This morning, someone hacked into the network and deleted a very important case file." He looked up at Jacob whose face was completely neutral.

"What does this have to do with me?"

"We know you did it."

Jacob swallowed thickly and picked up the cup of coffee. He took a few sips before setting it down with a slight grimace. "How can you prove it?"

"You used your own access code." Edward stated as he wrote something else down.

Jacob cleared his throat. "Well how do you know someone didn't take my ID card and use my access code to hack the system?"

Edward sighed. "Where's your ID card?"

"I lost it a few days ago." Jacob said. Edward could see Jacob's chest move up and down faster as his breathing rate increased.

Edward tilted his head to the side, "You are lying."

Jacob smirked and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned backwards into his chair. "Oh yeah? Prove it."

"Would you take a polygraph test?" Jacob's smirk fell. "I didn't think so." Edward wrote something else down in his note pad. He saw Jacob lean forward slightly; trying to read what he was writing and failing miserably. "So why don't you, just tell me the truth. Did you or did you not hack into the network and delete the case file of Aro Volturi?"

Jacob cleared his throat. "I did."

"Why?" Edward asked even though he knew perfectly well why.

"He…he paid me to do it."

Edward chuckled. "If you keep lying to me, I won't be able to help you."

Jacob reached up and rubbed the back of his neck…again…Edward wrote something down on the notepad. "What if I don't want your help?"

"Then you will be going to jail for a very long time."

Jacob shrugged. "Oh. I'm not worried about that." A slow grin spread across his face as he leaned forward onto to table in front of him. "Something _very_ important to me will continue to live on."

Edward leaned forward as well. "And what would that be Jacob?"

Jacob chuckled. "Volterra."

Edward's eyes narrowed. "What the fuck did you do?"

"I warned Aro. He's long gone by now…along with all those girls."

Edward stood suddenly. "Mother fucker." He stood suddenly. "We'll find them _Black_." He spat. "And you _will _go to jail."

He walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him. He ran his hands through his hair. "_Fuck_." He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before making his way to the entrance of the room on the other side of the mirror. He opened the door to find Emmett on the phone pacing back and forth. He hung up then, "I sent someone over to go check out the house."

Edward nodded and ran his hands over his face in utter exhaustion. "What now?" Bella asked as she looked up at Edward with wide eyes. "What if he gets away?" Bella whispered as she thought about all of the other girls that had possibly been moved to another location.

"He won't get away." Edward stated with conviction. He placed his palm against her cheek and rubbed at her temple with his thumb.

"We should have continued with the surveillance detail on the house." Emmett said as he seated himself heavily in his chair.

"Volturi would have noticed that he was being watched eventually." Edward murmured as he watched Jacob tapping away at the metal table. Edward's hand moved down the side of Bella's face to her shoulder. He rubbed at the tense knots of muscles; dismayed that she could become so stressed so easily.

"Why isn't he worried?" Bella asked quietly.

Emmett stared at Jacob taking in his relaxed posture. He scoffed and smiled humorlessly as he shook his head back and forth. He looked up at Edward to see that he had a similar expression on his face.

"What?" Bella asked as she looked between their matching expressions.

"He's going to plead not guilty by reason of insanity." Edward brought his hand up and pushed it through his hair roughly. "He's going to say that he didn't know what he was doing. He was too overcome by lust to control his actions and therefore it wasn't his fault."

Bella's grip on the armrest of her chair tightened. The thought of Jacob not going to jail after all that he had put her through made the nausea roll in her stomach. She felt sick. She hated the fact that the very system Edward had convinced her would help her could set her tormentor free.

"Fucker." Emmett spat. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bella's eyes flash to his face. He cleared his throat and nervously loosened his tie. "Excuse my French."

Emmett saw the corner of Bella's lips turn up in a slight smile so he relaxed.

"All you have to do is prove that he did know he was doing…prove it was premeditated." Bella said softly as she watched Jacob shift in his seat.

"But how?" Edward asks as his hand slipped down the back of her dress. He scratched his nails against her skin; softly rubbing soothing circular patterns.

Bella paused for a second as a shiver ripped through her body. "Umm…" She lost her train of thought as Edward's hand slid down further. He grasped her ribs and massaged her spine with his thumb. She shook her head as if to clear it. "A-Aro…he kept an appointment book. The…customers would have to make an appointment if they wanted to come in for a session with one—or multiple girls."

She heard Edward take a deep breath and then exhale. "They weren't '_customers_' Bella. They were sick fucks who prey on helpless women." His voice was vicious and cutting. He slid his hand up from her ribs to her shoulder. As he slid his hand down her arm he bent down so that his lips were level with her ear. "_When_?" he asked; demanding an answer from her.

She looked up at him and felt her heart skip upon taking in his feral expression. His eyes were flashing with something dark and wildly dangerous as they begged her to tell him. His jaw was clenched tightly as his nostrils flared with each breath he took. Her eyes filled with tears as she whispered, "15. I was 15." She swallowed thickly against the lump of anger and sadness that blocked her airway. "It was 1 month and 3 days after I was taken." She clarified.

His eyes flashed to Jacob. "Two years." He growled as he stood up from his crouch besides Bella. "You've been dealing with this sadistic little shit for two years."

Emmett's eyes widened and he looked back at Bella. Edward had moved to stand behind her and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "How do we get his appointment book?" Emmett spoke with resolved determination. He was going to make sure that she got justice.

Bella sighed and a tear slipped down her cheek. Edward quickly wiped it away. "It's impossible to get it. It's kept in his office and he takes it with him everywhere."

"Shit. What are our options, Edward?"

"Huh?" Edward asked distractedly. But before he could speak, Bella spoke.

"You guys can use the evidence you already have against him to get a warrant to search his house and to look through his phone records. If he had made a call to Aro it would be on the record. Jacob was never very smart. You could trick him into saying why he was calling Aro…to make appointments." She said.

Edward nodded. "I can hardly wait until I see this sick bastard pacing around wearing nothing but an orange jumpsuit." Emmett sneered.

Edward's eyebrows came together. He was confused. Her suggestion was exactly what he would have done. "How do you know so much about the law?"

Bella smiled humorlessly. "Sometimes…if we were good…they'd let us watch TV. But all they let us watch was _Law and Order SVU_." She chuckled bitterly. "I guess they just wanted us to know that even though there are women whose rapists are put in jail, we would never have that chance. We would never see them brought to justice…" she swallowed and more tears fell. "We would never be free." she finished quietly.

Edward tilted her head to the side and placed a kiss on her neck; slowly moving upward until his lips grazed her earlobe. "Jacob is going to jail for a very long time Bella. I can assure you of that."

They both watched as Jacob's head slowly turned to watch them. Even though—from his side of the mirror—he would only be able to see his reflection, Bella could feel his eyes burning into her own as if he was threatening her…silently telling her that he _will_ be back and that he _will_ punish her severely.

She felt the tip of Edward's tongue graze her earlobe as he flicked it out to wet his lips. Her skin erupted in painful goose bumps at the sensation. "He can't see you." Edward whispered as if he read her thoughts. "But you can see him. And you _know_ that he will _never_ hurt you again." Edward spoke with conviction. She was safe. She would always be safe if he was around…no matter what.

"I believe you." She said with a shaky breath.

"You're lying." Edward stated.

She pressed her lips together as he stood up. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Don't be." Edward said before walking towards the door. He addressed Emmett. "Page me when you get the info about the house. I'm going to go check on something." Edward said as he left the room. He walked swiftly down the hall to Alec's office. He knocked twice and Alec called him in.

"You getting anywhere with Black?" he asked as he took his glasses off.

"Not really, no. It seems as if he might have been a part of the life style Volturi promoted though. It appears that he is trying to protect Volterra and everyone who runs it."

Alec rubbed his eyes. "Anything else?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure he's going to plead not guilty by reason of insanity."

"Damn it." Alec cursed.

"If we search his belongings we could try to prove that he did know what he was doing. From an anonymous source, I have received the information that Volturi kept an appointment book. If we could prove that Black had made an appointment at Volterra, we could prove that it was premeditated and that he knew what he was doing."

"I think that's a good idea." Alec said. "I'll get a warrant to search any and all of his belongings…is that all? You look a little worried."

Edward sighed and scratched his eyebrow with his thumb. He was positive Alec would help him. He was too important to the case for him not to. Taking a deep breath he spoke. "I did something that might possibly get me arrested."

Alec leaned forward and folded his hands on his desk. "If you tell me what you did, I might be able to help you." He said with sincerity.

"There was this girl at Volterra…" Edward trailed off.

Alec's eyes widened. "Dear God boy. Please tell me you didn't…"

Edward's head snapped up. "No sir I didn't hurt her. I saw her…" Thinking quickly he thought up a story to tell Alec. "I recognized her. It turns out that she was my sister's best friend who disappeared over two years ago after the death of her parents. Apparently she was taken by Volturi and was forced to work in Volterra. I…bought her."

"Goddamn it Edward…you're lucky." Alec said before clearing his throat. "If this gets to trial, we can say that we needed a witness so we chose her. I'll change your report and put that you had to purchase someone so that Volturi wouldn't get suspicious." Alec began to sift through the many files that cluttered his desk's surface. "I doubt you'll get in trouble for saving a girl who has probably been through enough torture to last lifetimes."

Edward nodded and watched as Alec altered his report. It wasn't _technically_ a lie, he thought.

"Let me make a call son." Alec said when he was finished with the alterations. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

**OoO**

Alec, Edward, and Emmett walked towards the lab where Jacob worked. After Emmett had informed Edward that Volterra was empty with no trace of anything, Edward made sure he left Bella in his office safe and secure. He had told her what had happened and he saw her holding back tears. He decided that he had to distract her.

He had many books on his bookshelves. When Alice would visit him at work she would sometimes sit and read just so that she would be able to spend time with him. He gave Bella a book that Alice had been going crazy over; _Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies_. He was certain that it would keep her mind off of things.

The doors leading into the lab slid open swiftly. The men walked into the lab. Jasper was writing something down. He looked up and smiled at them. "What can I do for ya gentlemen?" he drawled out.

"Where is Jacob's locker?" Alec asked.

"Oh, it's in the back." Jasper responded as he turned and began to lead them to the back of the lab area.

They followed behind him after each of them grabbed latex gloves from the box that sat besides the computer.

Edward swung open the locker door and held his flashlight up. He rifled through the top part finding nothing put a silver watch, car keys, and a pair of sunglasses.

He looked lower and discovered a box hidden beneath a pair of sweatpants and sneakers. He pulled the box out and handed it to Alec. "Think I found somethin' sir." He said.

They walked out to the lab and set the box down on the surface of Jasper's desk. Edward flicked it open. "Well?" Emmett asked impatiently.

Edward gritted his teeth and lifted the stack of Polaroid pictures from the box. "What the hell?" Alec whispered as Edward showed them the first picture.

It was of a woman…Edward knew it was Bella. He stared at the picture with disgust. Her hands were tied above her head and she was suspended from the ceiling. The picture was off her naked back. It was covered with bloodied welts. In the white space below the photo were the words, _'Bullwhip, 1 hour session, Isabella'_.

"Fucking hell." Edward forced out between clenched teeth as he flipped to the next photo. It was of a naked woman in a large tank filled with water. It looked as if she was banging on the glass trying to get out as her need and desperation for air increased. Below the picture were the words, _'Drowning pool, 2 hour session, Isabella'_.

With shaking hands he flipped to the next picture. It was of Bella's neck where angry red marks marred her skin. The marks wrapped all the way around. The words, _'Noose, 1 hour session; five minute intervals, Isabella_' were scrawled underneath the photo.

He saw red. The pictures were suddenly being pried from his hands. "Edward." Alec said. Edward's eyes snapped to his face. "This is Bella?" Alec asked softly.

Edward clenched in fists and ground his teeth together. He gave a sharp nod in affirmation. "Shit." Emmett said.

"Blow those up and meet me in the interrogation room with them in 30 minutes." Edward said as he pushed past them. He pulled his latex gloves off with a snap and tossed them in the trash can besides the exit.

He made his way to his office. Once he entered, he felt his anger dissipate immediately as her scent hit him. "What's wrong?" Bella asked in concern as she set her book down.

"Can I see your back?" he asked her softly.

Her eyes widened. She didn't want him to see how scarred she was but she nodded anyways. She had a feeling that he knew about the beatings she would get with the whips. He walked around until he was behind her. She slid the straps of her dress down her arms. The back of her dress loosened and fell down; pooling just above the curve of her hips.

She clenched her eyes shut as she heard his sharp intake of breath. She breathed in deeply; fighting against the lump in her throat when she felt his fingers trace the bumpy scars on her back. She felt his cool breath on her skin as he slowly exhaled the breath he was holding. Goose bumps erupted on her skin as his hands slid up her back to her shoulders and then down her arms. He grasped the straps of her dress and pulled them back up her arms. "I'll fucking kill him."

She gulped. "Why?"

"For you." He said simply as he walked around to stand in front of her. He bent down and kissed the cut on her cheek. He trailed his lips over the dark bruise on her face. He paused when his lips met the corner of hers causing her to gasp. Her eyelids fluttered as he pressed his lips firmly against the cut that slashed through the corner of her bottom lip.

He pulled away and stood up. She let out the breath she was holding in a whoosh. Where his lips touched tingled. She unconsciously reached her hand up and trailed her fingers over where he just kissed her. "Come on." He whispered as he pulled her up from her seat.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and tucked her under his arm protectively as he led her to the interrogation room. She followed him in a daze. She couldn't believe that she had found it pleasurable when his lips touched hers. Whenever someone forced her to kiss them she hated it. The lingering taste their tongues left in her mouth made her want to vomit.

However, his lips were soft and left the lingering taste of sugary peppermint where he had pressed his lips against the cut in her lip. She didn't want to vomit. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him for real…with tongues and teeth and soft whimpers of pleasure like what she had seen in movies when she was younger.

She shivered at her thoughts. Suddenly her skin felt over heated and a strange longing sensation had awakened between her legs. She wondered why her skin suddenly felt slick and swollen between her legs. She knew she was not bleeding. She would have felt the pain. Instead, she felt a pleasurable sensation as she moved her thighs together with each step she took.

She breathed through her nose in an attempt to calm herself and tilted her head upwards to look at him. He had a fierce look on his face. He was determined to make sure Jacob suffered. He pushed the door leading into the viewing room open. He stopped in the doorway as Alec casted him a surprised look. "She needs to see this." Edward explained.

Alec nodded knowingly and smiled at her genuinely. "Come in dear." He said. "Oh!" he said suddenly. "I got you something from Martha." He pulled a bar of chocolate out of his jacket pocket. He smiled at her encouragingly as he held it out for her to take.

Shyly, she reached her hand out and took it. "Thank you." She said looking down at it. It was Cadbury's Milk Chocolate. Her father used to buy it for her whenever she got her period. Unwanted tears filled her eyes but she pushed them back and cast the old man a watery smile. He, in return, looked relieved. He knew that he had just gained a little bit of her trust with his kindness.

Edward seated her in front of the one way mirror once more. Alec handed him a beige file that held the photos Jacob had taken of Bella. He bent down and whispered into her ear, "Keep watching." He kissed the spot right below her ear before turning around and walking out of the room.

Alec stood behind Bella and watched as Edward entered the interrogation room. "Don't worry my dear. We'll catch Volturi and all of those girls will be free. I swear on my life, for you, I'll take them down." He spoke quietly.

"Thank you." She whispered.

He smiled weakly. "They have my granddaughter you know." He said.

She swallowed thickly. "What's her name?"

He smiled sadly, "Jane."

Bella's breathing caught, "How old is she?"

"14." He said.

She looked up at him and smiled reassuringly. "Then she is safe." Alec gave her a questioning look. "They only…do things…if the girl is 15. Right now she is probably still being moved, but she hasn't been touched."

She heard Alec sigh in relief. "Thank you for telling me." He breathed.

She nodded her head and looked forward at Edward who was situating himself in his seat once more. Emmett sat down besides Bella. He realized that she was very brave and extraordinarily strong for someone so young. She had earned his respect for that. She had earned Alec's respect as well.

Edward spoke. "Have you ever been to Volterra?" he asked.

"Yeah." Jacob smirked. "I had fun…a lot of fun." He let out a chuckle as he saw Edward's face darken.

"Are you admitting to participating in the acts that were performed there?" Edward asked through his anger.

"Yep."

Edward leaned forward and grabbed the file from underneath the writing pad. He pulled the photos out and leafed through them; throwing them at Jacob so that they landed in front of him. "Did you take these?" Edward asked.

Jacob picked the pictures up and smirked upon seeing them. "Yeah I took these. I had to document all of my hard work didn't I?" he asked.

"So you admit to doing this."

"Yes."

"Who is she?" Edward asked even though he knew exactly who it was.

"Isabella."

"How old is she?" Edward asked.

"When I took her virginity, when I took those pictures, or now?" Jacob asked with a smirk.

"Just answer the question." _Fucker_, he thought.

"She was 15 the first time. Now she's 17."

Edward narrowed his eyes at Jacob. "Do you think that a 15 year old girl wanted you to torture her the way you did?" he asked as he flicked more pictures at him angrily.

"No she didn't want it. But I did it anyways. And it fucking felt good." Jacob sneered. "She was mine. I could do whatever I want to her and she'd take it like the good little bitch she was. If I said sit, she'd sit. If I said jump, she'd jump. If I told her to suck my cock, guess what she'd do." Jacob snickered. "She was my favorite…know why?" Jacob taunted. "'Cause she was the tightest." He chuckled and sat back. "What would you do with that kind of power…you would use it to benefit yourself…and fuck…that's exactly what I did."

Bella watched with horrified eyes as Edward's face turned red with anger. His lip curled back over his teeth. "You raped her. She was just a child _Black_."

"I didn't care. I still don't."

Edward smirked, "Did you know that child molesters are at the bottom of the food chain in prison?" he saw Jacob's Adam's apple bob up and down. "Did you know that all I have to do is make a phone call, and your jail mates will know that you're a baby rapist?" Edward grinned. "Do you know what they do to baby rapists _Black_?"Jacob nodded nervously.

She jumped to her feet and made her way towards the door.

"Bella? What are you doing?" Alec exclaimed.

"I need to face him." She explained as she shut the door behind her.

She walked to the entrance of the interrogation room and pushed the door open swiftly, finally ready to actually face her tormentor.

**A/N: Would you call that a cliffie? I would and I bet it pisses you guys off doesn't it *grins***

**Please review.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Wow. Over 4.5 k words…nice. This has got to be one of my favorite chapters. You'll see why at the end.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Edward turned around at the sound of the door opening behind him. He felt her presence before he saw her. She stepped in carefully and pushed the door shut behind her. She walked purposefully towards Edward; standing behind him and staring at Jacob.

They watched his face contort in anger as his lip pulled back over his teeth in an angry sneer. "I don't think we're getting anywhere with him, Edward." She said as she put her hand on his shoulder.

Edward smiled up at her, knowing exactly what she was doing. "I think you're right." He said as he closed the beige folder in front of him.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Jacob spat at Bella.

Bella smiled at him bitterly. "Where did Aro move the girls Jacob?"

Jacob's nostrils flared angrily. "Who the fuck are you to ask me? Have you no respect for your Master? Or should I whip you into submission for your disobedience." He spat angrily as his eyes narrowed at her.

She felt Edward's muscled shoulders tense beneath her fingers. "You can't hurt me anymore." She said as she rubbed her thumb in small circles trying her best to soothe Edward's anger.

"She's right. You can't." Edward said before he stood up and fixed his suit jacket. He turned to her, "It's getting late, we should go home." He turned to Jacob with a smirk on his face. "Enjoy your bed." He said as he nodded towards the chair Jacob was occupying.

He pushed Bella in front of him, leading her out the door. He shut the door behind him and turned towards the guard. "Ignore him if he says anything," Edward warned.

"Sir?" the guard asked with a confused expression. "Shouldn't we keep him in a holding cell?"

"No. A holding cell is too big." He turned his attention to Bella. "Let's see how he likes being in a small windowless room with nothing to do."

The door clicked to their right. They turned to see Emmett and Alec emerging from the viewing room. "I'll take care of the paper work. You can go home." Alec said.

Edward nodded, "Thank you sir."

"See ya later man…you too Bella." He winked at her, causing a deep red blush to erupt on her pale unbruised cheek. Emmett looked back at Edward whose eyes were narrowed at him. Emmett simply let out a booming laugh and turned and walked down the hallway behind Alec.

Edward looked at the guard and said, "Don't let him use the bathroom. Tell the night guard not to let Black use the bathroom either."

"May I ask why sir?"

"I have my reasons." Edward replied before turning and leading Bella towards his office. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she grasped his hand in her own. He could feel her trembling against him so he held her steadily. When he reached his office he sat her down on his office chair. "Are you okay?" he asked as he pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

She simply nodded and looked up at him with a smile. "I'm so proud of you." He stated as he pushed his fingers through her hair. He grinned back at her crookedly as he reached over and picked his keys up from its place besides his computer. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah." She said as he pulled her up to her feet.

They exited the building. This time Bella didn't fail to notice the warning look on the old security guard's face. Edward nodded at the worried old man and led her out to the car; opening her door and seating her. He pulled out of his parking spot and made his way down the street towards his brownstone holding her hand in his the entire way.

She watched the Seattle night begin to descend on them. They pulled up to a Chinese takeout restaurant. He got out and helped her out of the car. She looked at him questioningly. "I thought you'd be hungry and not want to wait for me to cook dinner." He smiled at her.

"Oh."

"What would you like?" he asked as they reached the counter.

"Chicken fried rice, please." She said after taking a quick look at the menu above the counter. She ordered the first thing she saw. He ordered sesame chicken and white rice. As they waited Edward couldn't help wrapping a protective arm around Bella when the young man filling the vending machines kept staring at Bella's breasts appreciatively.

She, of course, was oblivious to his attention.

The old Asian woman behind the counter put the takeout bag on the surface. Edward paid swiftly and pushed Bella in front of him as he walked out; blocking the young man who was filling the vending machines from staring at Bella's ass as she walked away. As he closed the stores door behind him, he cast the young man a heated glare before turning away.

He helped Bella into the car and she held the bag of food as they made their way to his house. Once inside, he suggested, "How 'bout we eat in the living room?"

"Okay." She said as she slipped her shoes off before padding over to the couch. He got two plates from the kitchen as well as a bottle of grape soda for Bella and a beer for him. Setting the items down, he filled their plates with the food.

He turned on the TV and sat back to eat. She stared at him and he stared back wondering why she wasn't eating. She looked at the bottle of beer and back at him then back again at the beer. He smiled at her and got up; taking the beer with him to the kitchen. She heard the soft thud as it landed in the garbage can. He returned with another bottle of grape soda. "Better?" he asked before sitting down with his food again.

She nodded and sat back; to his surprise she leaned her head against his shoulder as she ate silently. He hated the fact that she didn't trust him if he drank alcohol.

He did however, know that it _was_ illegal for him to buy let alone drink beer. But he didn't care. He found it refreshing especially since he could pass for 21 just about anywhere.

He could feel the soft movements of her mouth as she chewed. When they finished he took their plates back to the kitchen and placed them in the dishwasher.

When he returned to the living room she was sitting up with her legs tucked underneath her and with a confused expression on her face. He sat down besides her and muted the TV. "Why do people like having sex?" she asked suddenly as she turned her head to face him.

He raised his eyebrows at her sudden question. "There are many different reasons."

"Like what?" she asked.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Some people do it because it makes them feel closer to their partner…other people do it because it feels good."

She looked down at her fingers. "It never felt good to me." She said quietly.

He took a look at her sad face. He could see her lip trembling and tears forming in her eyes. He knew that she thought that there was something wrong with her. He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "That's because you've never had sex or made love, Bella. It was against your will. Eventually, you would want to do it and it won't be against your will. It'll feel good." He whispered.

She bit her lip and looked up at him. "What about kissing?" she asked as she stared at his lips which then stretched into a lopsided grin.

"With the right person, that feels good too."

"Oh." She said. She looked down at her fingers and blushed a bright shade of red.

He reached over and tucked his index finger underneath her chin before turning her head to face him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…I just…" she sighed.

"You just, what?" he asked as he stroked her bottom lip with his thumb. He heard her breathing hitch.

"I…I just…wanted to know what it would feel like…when I_ wanted_ to do it." She said softly. She turned in his arms so that she was facing him. "C-Can you do it?" she asked.

She saw his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed. "Can I do what?" he asked.

She reached up to fiddle with the knot of his tie suddenly finding it fascinating. "Can you kiss me?"

"Bella…I—"

"Please?" she asked; looking up at him.

He leaned his forehead against hers. "I want to." He whispered. "But I don't know what'll happen if those memories come back to you."

She sighed. "I want to move forward." She whispered. "And you make me forget."

He looked into her tortured eyes and couldn't help but concede her wishes. "You need to tell me when you want me to stop." He whispered as his lips grazed her earlobe. She shivered and nodded her head. She pushed against his chest placing her lips millimeters away from his.

He moved his left arm so that it was wrapped around her waist. He reached up to cup her cheek with his right hand and gently pushed her head towards his own; pressing his lips against hers softly. She gasped and pulled back slightly as an electrical current shot through her lips and left them stinging with a pleasurable sensation.

She pressed her lips against his; this time moving them slowly over his. She reached her hands up and grasped his hair between her fingers tightly. She felt his mouth open against hers slightly so she followed his lead. She breathed in his breath and moved to straddle his lap.

He gasped as her warmth settled over his lap; he was surprised by the sudden urgency of her actions. His right hand had slid into her hair and was grasping it by the roots. He took a chance and peaked his tongue out of his mouth.

She made a soft noise in the back of her throat to express her pleasure as his tongue traced the outline of her lips. She opened her mouth wider, silently telling him that she was ready. His tongue slowly moved to enter her mouth. As soon as the warm wet flesh met her own the pleasure exploded. She moaned and pulled his head closer; wanting and needing more of him. He tasted like sweet grape soda.

She let his tongue caress hers softly; curiously exploring her gums, her teeth, the roof of her mouth, as well as behind her bottom lip. It was new to her—actually feeling pleasure when someone was kissing her.

He parted from her to take a breath; kissing down her jaw line. "I don't know why anyone would want to spend their time doing anything but bringing you pleasure, Bella."

He kissed down the side of her neck and she felt her eyes roll back into her head as his tongue languidly traced circles on her skin. "You taste so good." He whispered. Before he knew what he was doing he was sucking on the spot right below her ear.

The grip she had on his hair tightened as he continued sucking and biting her skin softly. "Edward." She breathed softly into his ear causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. "Please…" she whispered.

"Please what?" he asked before returning his lips to hers. Their tongues met and the electricity sparked between them; an almost visible shock of blue lightning seen behind her closed eyelids. She felt it. She felt everything he was feeling for her. She felt his love, his protectiveness, his possessiveness, his _lust_.

Something primal stirred in her. She began rubbing herself against him; not knowing what her motivations were except that it felt _good_.

He pulled away from her lips and groaned into her shoulder as the friction made him even harder. "What…what's happening?" she whispered as she felt a spring coiling tighter and tighter inside of her.

He realized what was happening to her. He also realized that he wanted to be the first one to give her an orgasm as well as the only one. _And dry humping her on your couch isn't the way to go fucktard_, his subconscious said. He grabbed her hips and stilled her movements. She gasped and grabbed onto his shoulders as she felt the spring begin to unwind slowly and then fade away. She felt the pulse of her blood flowing between her legs; a throbbing sensation erupted and she had a sudden feeling of longing. She didn't know for what. All she knew was that she wanted to feel that good again.

He reached his hands up and cupped her cheeks in his hands.

"I want to make you feel good." He whispered. "But not like this."

She opened her eyes and stared into his as she shifted around slightly on lap. He winced as her heat grazed his hardness. "What am I to you?" she asked suddenly.

He slid his left hand down to her neck and pushed his right hand up into her silken hair. "Whatever you want to be." He said.

"What do you want me to be?" she questioned.

"I just want you to be happy." He said.

"I'm happy with you." She whispered shyly.

He pressed his lips against hers chastely. "I'm happy with you too."

"So what does this mean?" She asked him.

"Whatever you want it to mean." He said as he stroked her temple with his thumb.

She sighed. "I want you to tell me what it should mean."

He smiled at her. "I don't want to tell you. I want you to decide. It's in your hands Bella. I will never force you to do anything you don't want to do." He whispered the last part.

"I want you." She whispered.

"I want you too…all of you." He said before returning his lips to hers and kissing her softly.

**OoO**

She laid awake in his arms afraid that if she closed her eyes he would disappear. He had a soft smile playing on his lips as he slept; dreaming of her; of making her happy. She knew that he loved her even though he hadn't said it out loud. She wanted to hear it out loud. She wanted to know that someone loved her.

She desperately wanted affection after being deprived from it for over two years. The men who preferred her were always the most sadistic and depraved. She would get the worst of them; leaving the other women with men who wouldn't torture them like Jacob or the others.

She watched as a little crease formed between his eyebrows. He pulled her closer to his chest, resting his forehead against hers. She tilted her head downward and pressed a kiss onto his lips. His eyes flashed open suddenly at the sudden spark of electricity that always seemed to be flowing through them; connecting them.

His green eyes met her wide brown eyes. "Bella?" he said as he turned her away from his chest onto her back. He laid his head in the crook of her neck. "Why are you awake?" he asked as he tried to blink away his sleepiness.

She sighed as she stared at the ceiling. "I'm afraid that if I go to sleep, I'll wake up and you won't be here."

He wrapped his hand around her hip and rubbed small circles with his thumb. "I'll be here, I promise." He whispered. "Please go to sleep, love." he kissed her temple, as well as her cheek.

"Okay." She said; curling up into his side and letting the soft strokes of his fingers through her hair soothe her into a deep sleep.

He watched her for a few minutes before falling asleep. He awoke a few hours later. She was shifting and moving around underneath his arm. He looked at the alarm clock and saw that it was nearing 8am. He was surprised that he had actually slept the entire night.

He looked at her face which was flushed red. Her forehead was sticky with sweat and her hair was plastered to the sides of her face. Her head was tilted towards his and her bottom lip was between her teeth. He looked down at her body and noticed that her hips were moving in a slow and seductive rhythm almost as if she was dancing. When she moaned softly he realized that she was having a sex dream. "Edward." She whispered.

"Bella." He said as he reached his hand up to stroke her face. He wanted to her face twisted up in pleasure as she came. But at the same time, he wanted her to be awake—feeling all of his purposeful ministrations—the first time she came. He slid his hand down from her face and stilled her hips. "Bella." He said into her ear before kissing the side of her neck.

She jumped awake with a gasp. Her hands flew to her eyes and they balled into fists. Suddenly she sat up. She turned her head to look at him. "Edward…"

He took in her worried face. "What's wrong?" he asked as he sat up.

"I think I'm bleeding."

His eyebrows came together in concern. "What? How?"

"I don't know…my underwear is really wet inside." She blushed brightly and looked away.

He tucked his index finger underneath her chin; forcing her to look back at him. "You're not bleeding." He smiled.

"But…"

"Check." He said as he turned his body away from her.

He heard her shuffling around and then a surprised; "Oh!" After she moved around some more she said, "You can turn around." He turned around to find her worrying her lip. "Then why's it wet?"

He shifted uncomfortably at the conversation. He could feel himself getting harder and he was powerless to prevent it with her sitting there with her hair all mussed and her lips swollen and red from their kissing whiles she talked about the fact that she was wet.

He could smell her. It was a heady scent; musky and thick mixed with the scent of wet flowers. He felt his mouth water. He wanted to taste her. The urge was strange and extremely strong. He took a deep breath to calm the anticipation that was building in his stomach due to the fact that he knew that one day he _would_ get to taste her.

"It happens when a woman is aroused." He could feel his eyelids getting heavy with lust. She noticed the difference in the tenor of his voice. It was a forced calm as he tried to control himself. "It's lubrication basically." He swallowed and closed his eyes briefly. "It makes penetration and intercourse more pleasurable." He finished.

"Oh."

They both jumped as the alarm clock rang loudly. He reached up and rubbed his eyes. "Umm. I have to go to work today. Do you want to come with me?" he mentally cringed at the blatant although unintentional sexual innuendo. She didn't notice it though. She nodded. "I'll make breakfast whiles you get ready, okay?"

She nodded again. He moved to get off the bed but hesitated. He turned around and reached his hand out to her neck. He pulled her towards his lips and kissed her softly. He moved down and kissed the side of her neck. She sighed as his lips left her.

He made his way down to the kitchen after brushing his teeth alongside her. He felt that just that small simple action seemed so suburban-esqe.

He decided to make scrambled eggs and toast. When he was finished he filled a plate for her and made her a cup of tea. He heard her feet tapping lightly against the floor as she came down the stairs.

When she entered the kitchen he almost dropped the pan of scrambled eggs he was holding. She was wearing a red dress that flowed all the way to the floor. The bodice resembled a corset. And it clung to her tightly; pushing her breasts up and increasing her already generous cleavage.

"Hi." She said softly. A soft red blush crept up her neck and up her cheekbones.

He smiled at her, "Hey." He said as he walked up to her. He reached his hand up to cup her cheek; noting that she barely flinched. He pushed his fingers into her damp and tangled hair. He grasped her hair by the roots in a light hold; silently telling her that if she wanted to move away from him she could.

She didn't. She let her eyelids flutter shut as his lips connected with the side of her neck. Her breaths came rapidly as he began to suck and nip at her skin. She reached up and grabbed two fistfuls of his hair before pulling him away gently.

He was still bending over slightly with his eyes level with hers.

She pressed her lips against his chastely; keeping her eyes open to observe his reaction. He didn't have time to close his eyes because the kiss was unexpected. She saw his eyes grow darker before he clenched the shut and pulled away; afraid that he'll do something to scare her. "I'll go get changed." He said before leaving the kitchen.

She looked after him confused before she shook her head and sat down to eat. When she finished eating she placed her plate in the sink and plated some food for him to eat. She found a thermos and filled it with coffee for him to take. She also poured a cup for him and set it down besides his plate. She sat down across the kitchen island and sipped her tea as she waited for him.

She heard his heavy footsteps as he walked down the stairs. He walked in wearing a pinstriped grey suit. He had a crisp white shirt underneath as well as a skinny black tie. "Oh. Thanks." He said as he sat down and began to eat quickly.

They left eventually; wanting to get the day done as fast as possible. She dreaded seeing Jacob again. She still feared what he was capable of. She still feared the memories he was likely to bring back to her; memories she had suppressed because of their brutality.

**OoO**

She stared at him through the plexiglass one way mirror; childishly wishing that he would spontaneously combust. She stared at his hands; hands that had tortured and humiliated her. She stared at his legs; legs that had kicked her; her stomach, her chest, her head. She stared at his feet; feet that stomped on her; breaking her wrist; spraining her ankle; bruising her flesh.

She stared at his mouth which was twisted up into the smug smirk he always wore; as if he feared nothing. She stared at his black eyes; eyes that betrayed his otherwise cool persona. He was afraid. He was afraid that he _was_ indeed going to jail. He was afraid that Edward _would_ indeed tell his future cellmates that he had raped a young girl; barely into her teen years.

Alec stood behind where she was seated. Edward stood beside her. "Is it true that Volturi marks you with a tattoo?" Alec questioned.

Bella looked up at him and nodded. She pulled her hair back and wrapped it around her wrist; holding it up to reveal the back of her neck where a faded 'V' sat. "Its henna, though." She said. "Every few days they would re-paint it."

"Why isn't it permanent? I'm sure constantly having to buy henna can add up to a lot of money." Emmett said.

"Nothing with Aro is permanent. He's constantly changing his tactics and his plans so that he can throw you off. If the tattoo was permanent it was something that could tie him to hundreds of women that have turned up dead after a few years of working in Volterra.

"We moved around a lot; in and out of his many different estates…all called Volterra. Unfortunately, the thing that keeps him one step ahead of the FBI will eventually be his downfall."

"And what is that thing?" Edward asked.

"His paranoia." She said. They all nodded at her reasoning, glad that eventually; Aro Volturi will be caught.

"How did they move you?" Alec asked.

"Commercial shipping containers on 18 wheelers." She said.

"Fuckers." Emmett said. "You're not a piece of property Bella. You're a human being and trust me when I say I'm going to beat his ass." Emmett nodded towards Jacob.

"You think we've waited long enough?" Edward asked as Jacob's foot began to tap at a furious pace.

Bella nodded.

"Alright then." Edward said before kissing her temple. He turned to where the coffee maker was and poured a large cup. He exited the viewing room making his way to the interrogation room. He swung the door open quickly; causing Jacob to jump out of his seat slightly.

"Here." Edward said as he set the cup down in front of him. Jacob glanced at the cup and back at Edward who was writing something down on the notepad in front of him. He was starving but he didn't want to say it. He didn't want to admit a weakness. Reluctantly, he picked up the cup and drank half of the scalding hot and bitter liquid.

He felt as if his bladder was going to explode. All night if he was sitting down; the pressure it would put on his bladder would be overbearing, but his he stood up; exhaustion would take over and his legs would ache.

Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead and his leg jumped up and down vigorously. Edward noted this in his book. "Do you know where Volturi has taken the other women?" he asked.

Jacob grinned smugly in spite of his extreme discomfort. "Of course I do. I'm one of his best customers." He sat back and folded his arms across his chest.

Edward's eyebrows came together as he remembered something. "Ya know, Bella something to me that makes your cooperation unnecessary Black." He said. "She said that whenever she was moved it was always from one of Volturi's estates to another. All we have to do is get a list of his properties and raid them." Edward stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"You still need me." Jacob spat.

"No. Don't think I do." Edward said as he stood up, gathered his things and turned to walk out of the room.

"Wait!" Jacob called. Edward paused; his hand still wrapped around the door handle. He turned his head and looked at Jacob questioningly. "I need to use the restroom." He said.

Edward smirked. "Just keep sweating, Black. Then you won't need to piss anymore." Edward turned back to the door and opened it, but before he could step out Jacob spoke.

"Hey!" he yelled. "I fucking thought you're a man. I guess not since your helping the little _bitch_. Their all bitches…every one of them. Your little _Isabella _included."

Before Jacob knew what was happening Edward had slammed the door shut. In three long strides he made his way to Jacob and kicked the chair out from under him; catching him by his neck and hauling him up; pushing him against the wall.

"Watch your mouth fuck-wit. Just remember, one phone call and you'll be using your mouth for other things…like blowin' your cell mate, _Black_." He threatened dangerously. His nose twitched at an unmistakable scent. He looked down and scoffed. "Well it looks like you just pissed yourself Black. Where's all your pride now you smug bastard."

With a last warning shove Edward made his way to the door. He held it open and turned to look at where Jacob was trying to pull his shirt down over the stain on the front of his pants.

"Open wide Black, open wide."

**A/N: I had fun writing that *grins***

**Please review.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

As soon as he exited the room he breathed in a large calming breath; trying to resist the urge to barge back into the interrogation room and shoot Jacob's crotch off.

He opened the door leading into the viewing room and stared at Alec. "Can you get someone to find a list of all of Volturi's properties and then bring it to me?" he asked. His gaze was hard and unreadable. There was, however, an underlying rage in his words that made the request a demand.

Alec nodded, "Sure thing son."

Edward turned his gaze to Bella. She stood without a word and followed him out the door. As they went past the interrogation room Edward grabbed onto Bella's hand tightly and held it in his palm. She looked up at him and realized that he was extremely angry.

She didn't know at what but she hoped it wasn't at her. The neutral expression he had on his face had melted into something horrifyingly enraged. His top lip curled back over his teeth before he pressed his lips together into a thin line. His jaw was set.

The vein that cut through his forehead diagonally as well as the veins on his neck were throbbing and pulsing, protruding from his skin as his rage increased like a burning hot fire spreading its way through his body. His eyes were dark with something that could only be described as murderous rage. His expression was positively feral.

He entered his office and pulled the blinds down before seating himself on his office chair and pulling her down onto his lap. He buried his head in the crook of her neck and breathed in her scent. She brought her hands up to his hair and pulled him away gently. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

He looked up at her. "He's not a man." He said through his teeth.

She pushed her hand through his hair and rubbed his scalp softly. "What are you talking about?" she asked softly.

"No real man would do what he did to you." He said. He reached his hands up to cup her face. He pulled her head down so that her forehead was against his own. "It's not fair." He said.

"What's not fair?"

"What he did to you." He said through clenched teeth.

She breathed deeply. "It's not your burden to bear." She whispered; looking down at her fingers that were once again fiddling with the knot of his tie.

"It shouldn't be yours." He said.

She sighed and looked up at him. "But it is and there's nothing I can do to change it."

His face hardened as he listened to her. He hated that she was accepting what had happened. He wanted her to fight against Jacob and his mockery…his taunting. "I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" she asked.

"Do I need to get you tested?"

She stared at him confusedly. "For what?"

He cleared his throat. "STDs."

"No. They all used condoms…except for Jacob. He had permission from Aro and he wasn't with anyone else." She said softly after she returned her attention to the knot of his tie.

He hated the fact that she so easily said it. He hated the fact that she said 'they'. He hated the fact that there were so many other sadistically depraved people out there. He hated Jacob.

He reached his hand up and ran it through his hair roughly before grasping it by the roots. He looked up at her and glared. "There shouldn't be a 'they'." He said.

She looked away from him. "But there is." She whispered.

"I wish there wasn't." he replied.

She looked up and stared into his bright green eyes. "Why do you care?" she asked. "You're just my best friend's brother." She whispered.

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He swallowed thickly. "Is that all I am to you? Just your best friend's brother." He reached up and cupped her bruised cheek in his palm. He gently ran the pad of his thumb over the cut on her cheekbone.

"No." she whispered.

He pressed his lips against her temple. "Then don't say that." he said against her skin.

"Don't say what?" she asked.

"Don't say that I'm nothing more than your best friend's brother." His voice was sad.

She turned her head to look into his eyes. "I'm sorry." She whispered after realizing she had hurt him. She pushed her face into the crook of his neck. "Am I just your sister's best friend or do you think of me as a friend?" she asked shyly.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to just be friends." He said quietly; he regretted his words instantly when he felt her stiffen in her arms. "I'm sorry…I'm scaring you." He said.

She pulled away from him and he was afraid that she was also mentally distancing herself from him. "You aren't scaring me. It's just…it's just that I was going to say the same thing." She whispered the last part and looked up into his deep green eyes. She brought her right arm around and wrapped it around his neck. Her left hand came up to hold his bicep.

He stared at her; not knowing what to say as happiness coursed through his body. He sighed deeply and leaned his head down to kiss her cheek. She turned her head and their lips connected briefly. He gasped, taken aback by her sudden forwardness. She looked up at him and her lips turned up at the corners in a slight smile. He breathed deeply before pressing his lips against hers firmly—waiting for her to make the first move.

She pulled him closer and pushed her tongue out prying his mouth open with it. He gasped at her urgency, allowing her entrance to his mouth. She pushed her tongue into his mouth as deeply as she could—wanting him to consume her.

He brought his hands up to her hair and pulled her closer as her lips began to move frantically over his. She struggled to get closer to him. He sensed her distress and grabbed her right thigh before sliding it across his lap so that she was straddling him.

His arm was wrapped around her waist; getting her as close to him that was physically possible. He wanted to devour her as he greedily explored her mouth with his own. Her noises and movements spurred him on and his hands drifted up her rib cage. He tried to keep himself in check. He feared that with one simple and slight movement of his hands; he could crush her.

He trailed one of his hands up from her ribs to her hair and grasped it by the roots. He tugged her head back; careful not to pull her hair. The new position allowed him to push his tongue into her mouth deeper.

She moaned; deep and guttural in her throat.

He forgot himself. He forgot who he was. All he knew was Bella and that he _had_ to bring her pleasure so that he could hear her moan again. With a snarl he parted from her and kissed a rough wet trail down her neck. She arched her back and her hands found his hair. She tugged roughly and mewled softly when his tongue began to trace soft circles around her flesh.

She loved the way his muscled forearms fit perfectly around the contours of his waist. She loved the way he held her tightly…safely…securely against his chest. She loved the feel of his body beneath her fingertips.

He returned his mouth to hers with even more fervor then before. His teeth nipped at her bottom lip almost angrily as he tried to pry her mouth open faster.

She loved the way his tongue felt against her skin. She loved the way his hands were rough yet soft against her body. She loved the feel of his lips against her flesh.

_You love him._

She gasped and pulled away slightly at the sudden thought that had made its way into her mind and through her ears. She struggled to catch her breath before it escaped her once again as her subconscious began to scream at the top of its lungs that she loved him.

He pulled her back to his body and forced her mouth open once again. She gasped at his sudden neediness. She had never seen him so rough before and yet it didn't scare her because deep down she knew that he would never hurt her. He was holding her tightly as his tongue made its home in her mouth with passionate yet gentle movements. She couldn't breathe and yet she couldn't find it in herself to want to pull away from her.

He too couldn't breathe so he reluctantly pulled away to kiss down the side of her neck. She mewled softly as his slight stubble grazed her skin.

_You love him_. Her mind kept whispering over and over again.

_You love everything about this man_. It said.

_Tell him_. It commanded.

"Bella." He whispered against her neck before kissing her chastely; interrupting the disturbing thoughts that had entered her mind. It wasn't disturbing because it was Edward. It was disturbing because it was so sudden. "You're so beautiful." He said kissing her again.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he pushed her hair back; clenching her silken strands in his fist.

"No one's ever told me that before." She said softly.

His eyebrows came together. "I'm different." He whispered. "I won't hurt you." She knew that he was telling the truth. He _was_ different.

She brought her right hand up and began to trace his face lightly with her fingertips. "I know." She said.

"Will you let me show you?" he asked.

"Show me what?"

"Show you how much I lo—" He stopped himself with a sigh before continuing. "I want to show you how much I _care_ about you." He had almost said it out loud. She noticed his stumble but didn't say anything even though she, herself, wanted to tell him just how important he was to her.

"How will you show me?" she asked.

"I want to make you feel good. Will you let me?" he said against her lips.

She whimpered and nodded her head before he kissed her again chastely.

"But not here…tonight."

"Okay." She said before she let her head fall and land on his shoulder. She felt safe in his arms as he began to rub her shoulders. Her body melted into his as his thumb worked out the knots in her shoulders and her neck. "Why were you mad earlier?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

He sighed and pressed his lips against the side of her neck. "I wanted to beat the ever loving shit out of _Black_ and then put a bullet through his balls. He doesn't deserve to be called a man." He said with a growl.

She stiffened in his arms at the sudden rage in his voice. She raised her hand and began to run it through his hair soothingly. He nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck. She was certain he was purring; a deep rumbling noise in the back of his throat. A slow smile spread across her lips as she realized that she was the reason he was calming down. "That still doesn't explain why you were mad." She said.

He sighed. "He called you a bitch…you're not." he said. "And if I'm that mad because he called you a name you can't imagine how angry I am for what he did to you."

She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. They were dark and his eyebrows were pulled together in a brooding manner. His lips were pursed slightly in small pout. She kissed his lips; he slowly relaxed but the rage in his eyes didn't disappear.

He hugged her body closer. He sighed; just her _being_ there was enough to calm him. She was _so _warm and soft and fragile in his arms he was afraid that even though he was trying to save her he would end up destroying her.

The sliding glass doors opened and Alice waltzed in twirling her polka dotted umbrella over her shoulder. Her galoshes were a bright orange instead of the subdued yellow she had worn a few days earlier. She stopped in front of the wooden desk and raised her eyebrows in question.

Bella merely blushed and looked away from her questioning eyes.

"What are you doing here Alice?" Edward asked.

"I just started walking…I ended up here…I feel as if I'm supposed to be here…supposed to meet the love of my life." Alice let out a nervous chuckle and looked between them. She raised her eyebrows at Bella—'_she knows_', was Bella's thought—before dropping down to the floor to pull off her shoes. She threw them besides the door where she had left her umbrella.

"Alice what are you doing?"

"There was a pebble in my left galosh." She defended. "Ya still have those flats I left here just in case?"

"Yeah, there, in the draw underneath the bookcase." Edward said tiredly.

Alice quickly slipped them on once she recovered them from its hiding place.

"I wanted to spend a little time with Bella before the most important moment of my life if you don't mind." Alice said.

"I don't mind." Edward said. "But you have to be within 20 feet of me."

Alice groaned. "God Edward. You take the whole 'older brother' thing a little too seriously."

Bella said. "I don't think of Edward as an older brother. That'd be kinda awkward." Her eyebrows came together. She loved him like she would love her partner or lover. She didn't love him like a brother. The way he just kissed and held her would've been incestuous and just plain strange.

Alice's mouth made an 'o'. She puffed her cheeks out and pressed her lips together. "Alice you look like a monkey." Edward said.

Alice peaked her tiny pink tongue out from between her lips and pushed out all the air in her mouth in one long raspberry. When it was over she took a deep breath before saying, "Well your hair's stupid…I mean _jeeze_ Edward don't you know what a comb is?" she shook her head at him; giving him the stink eye.

Edward narrowed his eyes at her. "Shut up demon child."

"I know you are but what am I?" she sang as she pulled Bella up. Edward rolled his eyes and stood up as well. "Pull out the couch bed; we can lie down and watch TV." Alice suggested as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Don't you know what the word 'please' means?" Edward asked.

"No." Alice said.

Edward muttered under his breath and got to work with the couch. Once the bed was pulled out Alice pulled Bella with her and flopped down on the bed. She flipped on the TV and settled on CartoonNetwork which was showing a marathon of _'Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends'_. Edward rolled his eyes at her predictable choice before sitting down and getting a head start on typing up his report for the Volturi case.

Eventually, Alice and Bella both fell asleep curled up underneath the thin white sheet that covered the squeaky bed; using the couch cushions as their pillows.

Edward stood and grabbed a blanket from the draw underneath his bookcase. He had spent many nights sleeping in his office. He had learned the first time that it tended to be chilly. He covered them with the thick sheet before placing a kiss of each of their foreheads.

He sat down and resumed his work. A few minutes later the sliding glass doors opened and Jasper walked in. "Hey man." He said.

"Hey Jazz." Edward said. "Please tell me you have good news for me."

"Sorry. Apparently the information you requested was sealed."

"What? Why?"

"Well according to some lady at the EPA, giving a list of Volturi's properties to you would be compromising one of their _own_ ongoing investigations."

"And what the fuck would that be?" Edward seethed.

"Asian long horned beetles." Jasper said with a grimace.

"_What?_" Edward asked incredulously.

Jasper scratched his eyebrow with his thumb and sighed. "Apparently, Volturi is trafficking drugs and instead of shipping it trans-continental, he sends it to Africa, then Asia—where this _beetle_ apparently gets into the shipments—and then the drugs arrive here at the Port of Seattle."

"What the _fuck_ does that have to do with anything?" Edward asked.

"Well, the people down at the EPA are upset that this…_beetle_…is destroying crops and forcing native species out of their habitats. They have no natural enemies here in America so their populations are exploding." Edward's eye twitched.

Jasper continued. "They know that ever since Volturi brought his 'business' to the Seattle area there has been a significant increase in the beetle's population. They're trying to catch him by staking out his estates to see if any shipments arrive. They think that if we move out and raid his property we'll destroy any evidence regarding the fact that these _beetles_ come from his drug shipments."

"_What?_" Edward said incredulously.

"I shit you not my friend. The lady down at the EPA did however give me an important piece of information. She said that Volturi had had some financial problems and sold all of his property except for his Seattle house and another one in Chicago."

"That is so…fucking…" Edward grabbed his head and tugged at his hair. His eyes widened suddenly. "Bella had said that they moved her in shipping containers attached to 18 wheelers."

"And?" Jasper asked, not getting the point.

"If we can intercept all 18 wheelers hauling non-commercial shipping containers to Chicago we might be able to find those girls."

"_All_ 18 wheelers?" Jasper asked suspiciously.

"Not all of them just the ones that don't have the name of a company on the side. If it's just a plain shipping container without lettering on the side, we have no idea what the fuck their transporting." Edward said.

"We'll need a shit ton of warrants for that plan to work my friend."

"Not if we say that we checked the cargo on the basis of probable cause due to suspicious activity. I mean, if there isn't a company name on a shipment of so called 'goods', no one knows what the fuck their transporting, right?" Edward said.

"Genius." Jasper said. "I'll get right on it." They both turned their heads when they heard and 'ow'. Alice jumped up from where she was lying on the floor. She rubbed the back of her head and winced.

"You okay there Alice?" Edward smirked at her.

"Shut up." she replied. She looked up and noticed Jasper there. Her heart began to thump wildly in her chest. She knew what she was there for.

"Well howdy." He said.

"Erm…hi." Alice said.

"I'm Jasper."

"Alice." She replied with a smile before rolling her neck until it cracked. She sighed with a satisfied look on her face. "That felt good." She grinned.

Jasper let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. Alice's grin widened as she sensed his discomfort. She liked to know that she at least affected him in some way.

Edward looked back and forth between them. The top left corner of his lip lifted upwards. His nose scrunched up and his eyes narrowed. "Oh you've got to be kidding me." He muttered to himself. "Alice is my sister." Edward explained in a louder voice.

"Well it's nice to meet ya." Jasper drawled.

"Alice here is looking for the love of her life." Edward said with a slightly mocking tone. Alice grimaced at him.

"Well did ya find 'im?" Jasper asked her nervously.

"Yeah." She whispered.

"Jesus Christ." Edward swore loudly at their display.

His head whipped to the side towards where Bella had sudden shot up from the bed. She rubbed her eyes with her fists before flopping back down and turning on her stomach. Her hands grabbed onto the bedding beneath her; her fists clenching the material before she returned to her light doze.

"Loud much, Edward? Haven't you ever learned how to use your indoor voice?" Alice whispered condescendingly.

He glared at her before turning to Jasper. "Why don't you take Alice on a tour of your lab? Or the inside of the biohazard storage room?" Edward suggested snarkily.

Jasper smiled. "M'kay." He said as he began to lead Alice out of the room. "I'll tell Alec about your idea first."

As they left, Edward heard Alice ask a question. "Why do you keep all of the biohazard material in one room? Won't it like…explode?" Edward rolled his eyes and shook his head; glad that she was gone.

He heard Bella whimper from her place on the bed so he got up and made his way over to her; shedding his jacket and his tie as he went. He climbed onto the bed not even caring that Alice would shit a brick because he had wrinkled his suit. He kicked his shoes off and crawled underneath the covers with her.

He pulled her close and laid his head on top of hers. Her warm breaths tickled his neck as she slept.

He closed his eyes; wishing for a few minutes of peace with the woman he loved; knowing it wouldn't last long.

He felt something coming. He didn't know what it was. He didn't know if it was good or if it was bad. All he knew was that it was big.

**A/N: I guess I would call that a filler chapter. **

**Don't worry, more drama ensues, next time on The Color of Freedom.**

**Tehehee. I sound like one of those cheesy voice overs. **

**Please review.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Almost 7.4 k words…awesome right? Yes…I know.**

**Okay, I'm not sure if 'hypersensitivity when aroused' can actually…well…happen, but it was fun to write. You'll see why I bring this up later in the chapter…heheh…heh…**_**right**_

**In this chapter I make some references to homosexuality. I am not a homophobe it just fits with the story and it seems like a very 'FedWard' thing to say.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

He rested for a few moments; inhaling her warming scent. Her fingers were holding onto his shirt tightly, right over his rib cage. She stirred underneath him. He hadn't realized it but his entire body had formed some sort of protective shield over her own.

He rolled onto his back; pulling her onto his chest. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him. Her eyebrows came together and she reached her fingers up to caress the dark circles that had formed underneath his eyes. "You're tired." She whispered.

He grinned at her crookedly. "Just a little." He said as he rubbed soft circles on her back.

"Do you want to go home?" she asked softly.

"No. I just want to sleep." He whispered longingly.

"Oh." She whispered back.

**OoO**

Once again, she found herself staring out at Jacob. It was nearing dusk from what she could tell by looking out the windows on her way over to the viewing room.

She had cradled Edward to her chest for hours whiles he slept. She hated that he looked so worn out and exhausted. Her heartbeat was his lullaby as he rested soundly. He awoke well rested and ready to continue with the interrogation.

He sat across from Jacob with a smirk on his face. Jacob looked afraid. Bella looked on; glad that for once her tormentor didn't look invincible. He looked vulnerable. She was glad that Edward was the reason Jacob looked so afraid.

Edward opened the beige file in front of him and pulled some papers out. He handed them to Jacob. "What exactly am I looking at?" Jacob asked warily.

"Your phone records." Edward explained. "You see those highlighted parts?" he asked.

Jacob nodded and flipped through the stack of papers.

"Those are all the times you've called Volterra."

"So?"

"Why would you call Volterra?" Edward asked with fake interest.

"I had to make appointments for my sessions with Isabella." Jacob said with a growing grin on his face.

"So you admit that you _planned_ these visits to Volterra?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Jacob asked curiously looking up. He saw that Edward had a smirk on his face.

"Well _Black_ that proves that it was premeditated. It proves that you _knew_ what you were doing when you went to Volterra to rape a poor defenseless girl. You _knew_ that it was wrong…" he paused when he saw the slightly green tint of Jacob's dark skin. "That 'insanity defense' you were planning on using just went out the window."

"Well I—" he stopped, unsure of what to say.

"You what?" Edward asked impatiently.

Jacob let a lazy grin spread across his face. "Well at least I got to fuck her." He enunciated the last two words. Edward's face took on the feral look it had earlier. "At least I got to be inside her tight as fuck body." he smirked. "I fucked her ass too." He snickered. "She was so fucking tight."

Edward held back a growl and refused to give into Jacob's taunting. "See…when you say things like that, you're just incriminating yourself even further."

Jacob scoffed. "You make it seem as if you think I care." He sniffed and rubbed his nose.

"I _do_ think you care."

"I don't care about anything other than a good fuck and a nice meal…I'm a simple man." Jacob shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

Now it was Edward's turn to scoff. "You're not a man." His head turned quickly to the mirror when he heard tapping against it from the other side. He stood up and grabbed the papers from Jacob's hand and made his way out the door to the viewing room. Upon entering he immediately knew what was wrong. "Where's Bella?" he asked panicked.

"Well, you were interrogating Black and then we turned around to make sure she was okay because of all the things Black was saying. She wasn't here. We didn't even hear the door open so we have no idea how long she's been gone." Emmett said with a sigh.

"Fuck." Edward said. Following his instincts he ran out the door to the elevator. When he arrived in the lobby he went straight to the security guard managing to check in point. "Have you seen a girl, with brown hair and brown eyes, about this height, leave?" he asked, motioning to a few inches below his shoulder.

"Yeah. She went out about 10 minutes ago and made a right towards the space needle." The old man said.

"Thank you sir." Edward said before running out the door. He jumped into his car; parked just a few feet from the entrance of the building and sped off into the direction Bella walked in.

**OoO**

She crossed her arms over her chest and continued walking down the street. She knew it was stupid of her to have ran away like she did but she couldn't bring herself to stand there and watch Jacob degrade her in front of Edward.

She could care less that Alec and Emmett had heard him talking about his experiences with her. She shuddered against the wind and turned the corner. She kept her eyes down; not even caring where she was going. She wanted to die.

She was sure Edward would think that she was too broken and tainted to love…to be with. A hopeless sob flew from her lips as she continued on. She couldn't live with the thought of Edward not wanting her. She knew that he was probably disgusted with her…that so many men had taken her…that so many men had touched her intimately and used her body for their own pleasure.

She _knew_ that he was disgusted with her.

She looked up and realized that she was at a dead end. She sighed and turned around. She was startled when she saw six men in the small alley with her. They formed a sort of half moon around her; preventing escape.

_Finally_, she thought. She had hoped for a less painful ending but she knew that she never got what she wanted.

"Well well well. What do we have here?" The man closest to her spoke in a slimy whisper.

She recognized his voice. It was Felix. She immediately began to try to skirt her way around them. No matter how much she wanted to die; she knew it would be excruciating if it was at the hands of Felix.

"Ah ah ah." He sang. "Stay where you are." He said; his voice was raspy and hoarse with his desire for her. She froze in her place; pushed up against the sides of one of the buildings that formed the dank alley.

He chuckled low in his throat as the rest of the men began to close in on her. Her fear was evident in her eyes as she looked at them getting closer. Her breaths began to come faster and faster as her anxiety increased.

"I thought your new owner would've taken more care of you…kept you on a leash or somethin'." He snickered. "You were a pricey one." He taunted.

She gulped and looked to her left; praying someone would walk by and notice her predicament.

He made his way closer to her. He wrapped his hand around her neck; not hard enough to prevent her from breathing but hard enough for her to know that she wasn't going to win if she fought him.

"Hey man. Make sure she lives long enough to give each of us a turn." One of the men yelled out. The rest of them grunted in agreement.

"N-No please don't." she whispered.

Felix raised his eyebrows at her before tightening his hold on her neck. "I see your new master hasn't kept you in your place." He whispered threateningly as his nails dug into the flesh around her neck.

She grabbed onto the hand around her neck; scraping at his forearm with her fingernails. "Let me go." she said in a raspy voice.

"Shut. Up." he whispered.

"Come on man. Stop playin' with her. We want a piece already." One of the unknown men said with a chuckle.

Felix turned his head slowly. "Wait your turn." He sneered before looking back at her. He licked his lips before his head began to descend to her own as his other hand began to blindly and lustfully roam her body.

His head whipped towards the entrance of the alley way just in time to see a car pull up. The driver's door flung open and a tall figure exited the car. A gun was in his palm, pointed downward in a threatening manner. He itched to raise it at the disgusting men in front of him. "All of you…scatter." He snarled. Five of the six men ran around him and disappeared into the night.

Edward gritted his teeth; knowing they were only running to find their next victim.

"Hey!" Felix said conversationally. "You're her new master, aren't ya?" Felix stepped in front of Bella; protecting her from Edward, who seemed to be another predator willing to fight for his prey. He had seen him at Volterra.

"Get the fuck away from her." Edward growled; knowing that somehow Felix already knew her, he brought his hand up to cock his gun. Felix heard the gun click, signaling that it was loaded. Felix raised his hands in a surrendering manner. Edward took a step towards Felix but looked over his shoulder at Bella who looked like she was in shock.

Felix turned around in a flash and began to run. He ran straight into the metal gate that barred the exit to the other side of the alley. He tried to climb it only to feel Edward's body crash into his; knocking the breath out of him. Edward pulled him down off of the metal gate he was trying to climb.

Felix landed with an 'oomph'. Edward placed his knee on his back and grabbed his arms bringing them around so they were pressed against his back in an awkward and uncomfortable position. He pulled his handcuffs out and shackled them around Felix's wrists.

He pulled his cell phone out and dialed Emmett. "I need you to pick something up for me." he said.

"What is it?"

"It's a fuckin' sack of shit." Edward growled. He pulled Felix up by his neck and smashed him—face first—into the asphalt. Felix groaned and shook his head; surprised at the amount of blood pouring from the wound on his forehead.

"Where are you?" Emmett asked.

"The alley between some night club and a liquor store."

"I'll be there in five." Emmett said before hanging up.

Edward raised his head and noticed that the five men were returning. "Get in the car Bella." He commanded. She looked at him with wide eyes.

"That's right Isabella. Obey your new master." Felix mocked.

"You shut the fuck up." Edward snarled viciously. "Bella. Get in the car and lock the doors." He pleaded with her. She looked between him and Felix. "I said _now_ God damn it!"

His loud voice pushed her into action. She turned around; startled by the five men that were standing at the entrance of the alley. She warily made her way to Edward's car and got in. She quickly reached over to the driver's side and clicked the button that locked all of the doors. She stared out the windshield at Edward's large form looming over Felix.

She saw Felix's mouth moving as he said something to Edward. Through the windshield she saw Edward speaking. Judging his facial expression, she knew that his words were violent and threatening. She saw spit fly from his mouth as he spoke to Felix with rage. His face reddened as he continued to speak; the veins on his forehead and on his neck were throbbing in his anger. He lifted Felix up just slightly before smashing his head into the asphalt below him once more.

She turned around and saw the five men begin to make their way into the alley.

"Have you fucked her yet?" Felix asked him crudely—ignoring the blood that dripped from the new wound on his nose.

Edward grabbed Felix by the hair and pulled him up roughly before grinding his cheek against the rough stone of the ground below him.

Felix groaned in pain. "You like it when someone pulls your hair, holds you down, and beat you to shit?" Edward asked.

"I've never done it to your precious _pet_." Felix spat.

"She a fucking person you sick fuck." Edward growled before leaning down closer to Felix's ear. "I hope you enjoy this position. Once I get you locked up, you'll have to get used to it after become someone's _bitch_. Then you'll know what it's like." Edward paused and looked up at the men who were closing in. They were hesitant because they knew he had a gun. "I bet you'll like it. Is that why you rape defenseless little girls? 'Cause you secretly like dick?" he continued with his tirade; wanting to beat him into a pulp for even attempting to lay a hand on Bella.

"Fuck you." Felix said.

"No thanks." Edward retorted. He looked up at the men who were about to pass by Bella who was in the front passenger seat, staring on with wide scared eyes. "I'm a federal agent." He yelled out. "I'm armed and I'll fucking shoot you if you move any further." Edward warned.

One of the men spoke up. "Just let him go man. We just wanted to scare 'er a little."

"Yeah fucking right." Edward scoffed, knowing that they were lying.

"Come on man. You know what she looks like. She looked like she wanted a nice, hard, fuck." Another more bold man who went by Lonnie by his peers stepped forward. His path was a dark one and if Edward hadn't arrived at that moment Bella would have become part of the dozen other women who have been violated by him.

Another man dropped to the floor and picked something up as Lonnie pulled out a switchblade—flicking it open with what he assumed would be a terrifying motion. The man had picked up a metal pipe—probably belonging to a broken drink dispenser from the night club that boomed loudly just feet away.

With their weapons in hand they gained more courage. Edward could sense it. He knew that after they beat him dead they would go after Bella. With a low growl he stood up tall; showing that he was a large man capable of fighting. He looked down at Felix, "Don't move." His words held a silent threat.

The rest of the men seemed to realize that it was one against five. The odds were working for them. Knowing what the prize would be if they won they began to advance on Edward slowly. They didn't have any other weapons other than their fists. But they thought that a few cuts wouldn't matter if they got Bella in the end.

The only way they would get to Bella was over Edward's dead body. He would fight to the end—try to hold out until Emmett could arrive with hopefully a few other officers.

Lonnie attacked first, bringing his arm up to stab Edward—stupidly leaving his entire midsection open. Edward grabbed his arm mid swing and twisted it around. A snapping sound was heard as it was ripped from the socket. The ligaments that held his arm to his shoulder had torn and were now just useless tissue. Lonnie cried out and fell to the ground, holding his arm to his body.

Edward kicked the knife further into the alley as he finally pulled his gun from where he had rested it in his holster. He turned around, waiting to see who his next attacker would be. The man with the pipe charged at him; swinging madly in an attempt to do the most damage. As the pipe came down, Edward raised his left arm and blocked the swing with his forearm. "Fuck." He cursed as the pain rattled through his arm. He twisted his arm and grabbed onto the opposite end of the pipe that the man was holding. He shoved it into the man's throat; open end first.

The man coughed and sputtered vigorously as he fell to the ground and held his throat. Edward groaned as he realized that there were three more. He raised his gun—finally getting the chance to use it. "Move and I'll blow your fuckin' brains out." He threatened lowly. The other three men slowly raised their hands, surrendering their fight and backing away slightly.

A car with flashing red and blue lights pulled up behind Edward's car. Four others pulled up to the curb; blocking the only exit of the alley.

Emmett appeared at her window. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.

She nodded her head and looked away from him, unable to process the violence that had just occurred not 10 feet from her. She could hardly believe that Edward did what he did. The look of determination on his face was feral. His cat-like movements had been fluid and accurate; doing the most damage almost as if he had been trained to kill.

Five officers began to close in on the other men as Emmett dragged Felix up off of the alley floor and pulled him past Bella to his car. Bella turned her head, watching them as Felix tried to struggle against Emmett's hold and as the other men were being led to the other cars.

Alec and Emmett were talking to Edward. "We have to take a statement Edward." Alec tried to convince Edward.

"Not right now. It's too soon, especially after everything that's happened." Edward argued.

Alec sighed and agreed. "Are you alright son?" he asked with genuine concern.

"I'm fine. Thank you…Alec." He said reluctantly.

Emmett's car pulled away along with all the others. She didn't even notice until Edward knocked on the window; noting that she was lost in thought. She unlocked the door before returning to her own seat. Edward slid into the driver's seat and slammed his door shut. He put the car in reverse and pealed out of the alley. He shifted gears angrily and headed towards his house. His actions were jerky and mechanical as he turned into his driveway.

He got out and went to Bella's side; opening her door and pulling her out by her wrist. Once inside he slammed his front door shut and pushed her against it. "What the _fuck_ were you thinking?" he seethed.

She looked down at her fingers.

He growled and slammed his hand against the door—right besides her head. She jumped and looked down again. "Look at me." He snarled as his other hand reached up and grabbed her chin; tilting her head up to meet his glare. "Tell me why the _fuck_ you walked out of that building. _What the fuck were you thinking_?" he repeated.

She whimpered and pushed herself into the door further. "Stop yelling." She whispered. "You're scaring me." She whimpered. His gaze softened when he saw the tears in her eyes.

He sighed. "Bella." He cupped her face in his hand and pulled her to his chest. She could hear his heart thundering beneath the fabric of his suit. He was still angry.

"You don't want me anymore." She whispered tearfully against his chest.

He felt his heart stop; but not in a good way. "What?" he asked incredulously as he pushed her away slightly.

"Y-you heard what he did to me…how could you want me after hearing that?" she asked him.

"What he did to you…it doesn't affect how much I…" he sighed before whispering. "It doesn't affect how much I love you."

She looked up at him through her lashes. "It doesn't?" she asked.

"No." he paused. "You knew already…how?"

"You almost said it earlier today." She whispered.

"Oh." His ears began to turn red. She knew she should tell him…tell him that she loved him. But she just couldn't.

She had to get through everything first. She had to fix herself first. She didn't think she could give him what he deserved if she was broken. She knew that she _would_ eventually tell him that she loved him…but at the right time…when she wasn't broken…when she didn't feel tainted.

He saw the conflict in her eyes. He saw her hesitancy…but to what? He didn't know.

He leaned forward, knowing she wouldn't be telling him what was wrong. "Will you let me show you now?" he asked as his lips met hers lightly.

She nodded slightly before his lips pressed against hers firmly. His tongue peaked out and traced the outline of her lips before she opened her mouth to him greedily. He picked her up gently; carrying her bridal style through the living room up the stairs and to his bedroom.

He laid her down on his bed and kissed her mouth gently. "Did he hurt you?" he whispered.

She shook her head no.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes." She whispered. His lips descended on hers and he kissed her hungrily. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed his head closer. He reached around her and began to unzip her dress. She arched her back to allow him access. She pulled her arms free of the straps that held it up before returning her hands to his hair as he kissed down her neck. His tongue traced circles on her skin and his teeth scraped along her flesh.

"Please." She whispered; wanting and needing so much more from him.

He pulled her dress down lower. "Don't beg Bella. I'll give you whatever you want." He sucked on her collarbone before moving lower to the curve of her breasts.

Her breath caught in her throat as he kissed down the valley in between her breasts. He looked up at her for permission.

She nodded her head in the affirmative, silently telling him to continue. He pushed her dress down lower; revealing the tops of her dark pink nipples. He felt himself harden even further in the confines of his trousers.

He pulled her dress down all the way off of her body, throwing onto the floor. His eyes drifted up her milky white thighs to the white lace underwear that hugged her most intimate parts.

He noticed the unfortunate bruises on her legs. There were scars. Some of them were still red and unhealed. He knew that now that she had him—there would never again be marks on her skin.

His gaze moved to her flat stomach and her small belly button. He reached up and dipped his thumb into it. She whimpered softly as his thumb slid out. His hand gripped her side lightly as his eyes continued on its path upward.

He let out a shaky breath upon seeing her breasts. Her nipples were dark pink and erect. He saw that on her right breast there was a scar that looked like a bite mark; right around her nipple. He felt a wave of anger at the sight as he traced it with his index finger lightly.

He looked up at her face. Her eyes were clenched shut. "Bella?" he whispered questioningly.

She gasped. "Just give me a minute." She said softly. He nodded his head and then remembered that she had her eyes closed.

"Whatever you need, love." he said. He rested his chin on her breast bone for a few minutes; playing with the ends of her hair as he listened to her breathing regulate. He continued to stare at her face; judging her expression. Her eyelids slowly relaxed from their clenched position.

Her eyes fluttered open. She looked down at him and nodded her head.

"Can I flip you over?" He asked gently.

"Do you…do you want me from behind?" she whispered tentatively; remembering when the others would take her in that position. It made her feel like a dog, on her hands and knees against her will.

He breathed in sharply as if he could read her mind. "Jesus no, Bella." He said. "You're not an animal."

She bit her lip and held her breath. She wondered how he knew exactly what to say and how to say it to make her fell like she was actually worth something. She waited for him to continue. He turned her over onto her stomach. His actions were uncertain but she had yet to protest them. She folded her right hand so that it cradled her head. Her left hand dug it's fingers into the pillow below her head. "Don't move, okay?" he asked.

She nodded as he slid off of the bed. She heard the rustle of cloth sliding over skin and then a draw open and shut before he climbed onto the bed once more.

He moved to straddle her legs—making sure to keep his weight off of her. He knew that he could very easily crush her without meaning to. He also didn't want to scare her by letting her feel him…_all_ of him, especially in his current state of breathless arousal.

He trailed his fingers along the scars on her back. She shifted at the tickling sensation. He spread his hands along her ribs; massaging her slowly. He pushed his thumbs upwards; sensually worshiping her smooth skin.

He moved downwards slowly—giving her time to protest if she needed to. She didn't.

He gently ran his hands over the swell of her hips. She whimpered as he palmed her flesh softly. He leaned over her—placing his left hand besides her own to hold him up—and kissed her shoulder blade. "You're beautiful." He whispered softly. She shivered as his hot breath caressed her ear.

His hands blindly traced the scars on her back. He could tell that they had been deeper and she had probably gotten an infection from the bullwhip from the way it had healed.

"No one deserves you." He whispered as his hand moved lower to her hip. "Not them." He said with a low growl in his voice. "Not even me." His voice had a pained tint to it and it had her heart aching. His hand drifted up and wrapped around her rib cage lightly.

"They took from you as if you were theirs." His voice was disgusted. She shivered beneath him. "You're not." he whispered. "You're _mine_." Her breathing hitched at his words before he amended his declaration with an almost inaudible whisper. "…if you want to be." He kissed her shoulder blade again.

His fingers trailed along the curve of her right breast—reveling in the smoothness of her soft skin. "Do you want to be?" he asked.

"Y-yes." She whispered shakily. He hummed lightly with satisfaction before leaning down to kiss her neck softly—trying not to betray his true feelings about the simple word she had just spoken. His pulse thumped loudly in his ears. He felt slightly dizzy because of that one word. He swallowed thickly.

"Then you are." He said softly.

She shifted her neck upwards. His barely-there-touches were driving her mad. His lips ghosted across her flesh—only a phantom of what she wanted. She wanted the weight of his body on top of her. He stayed up—only the heat of his body touched her. She groaned. "More…I need more, Edward." She said softly.

"Patience my love." he said softly. "All in good time." he slid down her body. She immediately missed the heat of his body. She whimpered in protest. When she realized where he was, her face blushed red.

He kissed her just where the curve of her ass started. He trailed light kisses down to her left cheek. He brought his right hand up to caress her other cheek softly through her underwear. She moaned at the sensation. It was soothing. It wasn't lustful it was loving, as if he was worshiping her.

He paused his movements when silvery scars behind her thighs caught his attention. He slid down lower. "What are these?" he asked as he traced them. Some were still fresh and recently scabbed over…three on each side.

She sighed. "Punishments." She whispered. He ground his teeth together. He knew that the area where the scars were is extremely sensitive. It would've been awfully painful. He noticed that they were everywhere—sporadic little sets of three.

"Never again, Bella, I promise you." He whispered.

He picked up the bottle of lotion he had gotten from the draw and squirted some into his hand. He rubbed them together to warm it before laying his hands on her rib cage.

He pressed upwards to her shoulders—gently rubbing circles until he couldn't feel anymore knots, just soft flesh. He massaged her arms; rubbing the crease of her elbow down to her wrist where he squeezed lightly. He pressed against her palm with his thumbs and she groaned softly. He rubbed her fingers from her knuckles down to fingertips.

He rubbed up to her shoulders and down her back to her thighs. He slowly worked his way down to the backs of her knees to her calves and then to the bottoms of her feet. He kneaded the soles of her feet softly with his knuckles until she was quivering.

He moved up until he was straddling her once move; his legs were spread wide to give him room as he carefully reached up and tucked his hand underneath her shoulder—gently rolling her onto her back. She modestly brought her hands up to cover her breasts.

He reached up and gently pried them away—leaving them uselessly at her sides. "Don't hide from me." He said. "Not ever. You're too beautiful."

"But the scars—"

"—show me how brave you are…how strong you are to have survived so much." He interrupted. She swallowed thickly. "May I continue?" he asked. She nodded, looking a little sleepy.

He leaned down slowly; keeping eye contact with her as his mouth covered her right nipple. She groaned and arched her back as a wave of pleasure crashed through her. His tongue drew wet circles around. Her hands went to his hair; keeping him there as he sucked harder.

He switched his attention to her other breast; licking and sucking her. He opened his mouth wider and allowed his teeth to graze her nipple.

She froze underneath him so he immediately pulled away. She had a faraway look in her eyes. "Bella." He whispered. She gasped and shook her head as if to clear it. "Are you alright Bella?" he asked.

She held her breath before letting it out in a calming whoosh. She nodded her head.

"Talk to me, love." he whispered.

"I'm fine now." She whispered back.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Did using my teeth bother you?" he asked.

She breathed deeply and nodded; holding back tears. "It hurt." She whispered.

His eyes widened. "I hurt you?" he whispered in a pained voice.

She shook her head. "Not you." A pause. "Them." She whispered.

"I won't hurt you." He whispered.

She nodded her head.

"I'll do it again. I need you to tell me how it feels, okay?" she nodded her head and closed her eyes. He leaned over and took her erect point into his hot mouth. Ever so carefully he scraped his teeth over her bud gently.

She shivered underneath him and let out a soft noise. "Was that okay?" he asked.

She opened her eyes and looked down at her breast. "You didn't scar me." She whispered.

"I never will." He promised.

She nodded her head and laid back down. She pushed her hand into his hair; silently telling him to continue.

He covered her breast with his mouth; loving the bumpy feel of her hardened skin against his tongue. She tasted sweet like sugar. Her taste left a tingling feel in his mouth. He swiped his tongue over her nipple once more.

"Edward." She whispered. "What's happening?" she asked. Her hips began to push upwards off of the bed. He pulled away from her and looked at her with a confused expression. He reached his hand up and caressed her nipple with his thumb. She groaned and arched her back as her eyes rolled back into her head.

"So sensitive." He muttered before leaning down to kiss her neck. He licked her jaw line all the way to her chin. He pressed his lips against hers. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded her head.

"Do you want me to continue?"

"Yes." She whimpered.

"With pleasure." He growled before he continued to caress her breasts.

He moved with slight hesitance as he switched between using his mouth and his fingers.

"What's happening, Edward?" she asked in a panicked voice before letting out a loud groan. She felt something building…something that _Edward_ was making her feel.

"You're having an orgasm, Bella." He whispered. "Just let go." he said

The grip she had on his hair tightened as she let go. Her walls collapsed. She let out a scream as the pleasure reached its peak. He replaced the thumb he had on her nipple with his mouth. She cried out again as the spasms of her inner muscles intensified. Her back arched up and her hips lifted off of the bed.

"Edward…Edward…Edward." She chanted as his lips drifted to her right nipple.

"I'm here." He whispered before taking her nipple into his mouth with his teeth.

"Make it stop…it's too much." She begged.

"Are you sure you want it to stop?" he whispered against her skin before biting down gently.

"No…feels so good." She groaned as another wave of pleasure passed through her.

Her body slowly returned to the bed as her orgasm died down. Her skin was flushed pink and there was a layer of sweat covering her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded her head and reached for his boxers. "What are you doing?" he asked as he caught her wrist.

"I-I thought you wanted…" she trailed off when he shook his head.

"You don't have to do anything Bella." He whispered. "Not until _you_ are ready." He said. "I want to try something though." He wanted to know if she would cum again if he continued to caress her breasts. He wondered why she came from his simply caressing her hardened flesh. He was sure that it was either because of all of her pent up frustration or that she was extremely sensitive. He was definitely willing to test his theories.

"What?" she asked in a slightly groggy voice.

"Just relax." Edward urged.

She relaxed her body but started when she felt his hot mouth on her breast. He sucked at her nipple; biting it lightly with his teeth and letting his tongue trail tickling circles around. "Edward…I'm gonna…" she groaned loudly.

He removed his mouth and replaced it with his thumb. He squeezed her breast lightly as his thumb moved over her nipple. "You're going to cum, aren't you?" he inquired.

She nodded her head. He placed his mouth on her nipple whiles he continued to work the other with his thumb. Her body stiffened suddenly and a pleasured cry flew from her lips as she came.

Her body settled down after a few minutes of convulsions. She looked up at him with tired eyes. He had a smirk on his face.

"What?"

"You're hypersensitive when you're aroused." He said with a smirk. Her eyebrows came together confusedly.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"That means it's easy for you to cum." He said in a low voice.

"Is that bad?" she asked naively.

He chuckled. "For you, that's a very good thing."

"What about for you?"

He leaned down to kiss her; letting his lips float over hers. "For me, it makes my ego about a hundred times bigger." He pressed his lips against hers. Knowing that it would be easy for him to bring her to the brink of insanity with just a simple touch, set his blood on fire.

Just the thought of how many times he would be able to bring her to ecstasy had his heart racing.

She gulped, suddenly unsure. "Aren't you going to take your clothes off?" she asked.

"Why?" he asked in return as he fluttered light kisses over the scar on her right breast.

"A-aren't we going to have sex now?" she asked confusedly; her voice was several octaves higher.

He grinned at her crookedly. "No. That was for you. If you let me do that again, I won't expect anything from you."

"Why not?" she asked.

He smiled at her crookedly. "Because I love you."

She blinked at him. He had said the words so easily. She wished she could do the same. Her eyelids drooped tiredly. He noticed the change in her. He noticed her almost immediate pensive expression but he couldn't bring himself to regret telling her those words.

He rolled off of her, lying on his back and crossing his legs. She hesitantly rolled on her side and curled up to his side. Her breasts pushed against his rib cage. He had been waiting for her. He wanted her to move on her own, without his prodding. He smiled lightly when she reached her arm over his chest. "Sleep my sweet girl." He whispered to her.

She fell asleep without an argument. In her mind she whispered to him, "I love you," before drifting off tiredly.

He sighed and looked over her shoulder at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was only 7pm. Knowing that she would probably be hungry when she woke up, he decided to make dinner for her.

Unfortunately for him, no matter how much he tried, he knew he wouldn't be able to get rid of his erection by just willing it away.

He went into the bathroom and quickly stripped all of his clothes off before jumping into the shower. After standing beneath the freezing cold spray for ten minutes, his erection had yet to subside. With a groan of frustration he poured some of his body wash into his hand and lathered it up his length with clenched eyes and strained muscles.

He hated resorting to such measures but he breathed deeply; he knew the dangers of having prolonged erections.

He thought about the way she moved against him, the way her bluish veins were visible through her almost translucent skin, the way her dark pink nipples hardened as her body flushed with her arousal.

With one last pass over his tip, he came. With much difficulty he restrained himself from yelling out her name. Instead it came out in a desperate whisper.

He stared at the drain, watching his release wash away. When he had been touching her, he knew that he had to stop when he reached her underwear. He knew that she was nowhere near ready for any kind of contact with _that_ area of her body.

He knew that she still had secrets that she had to tell him. There were things that she didn't want him to know for fear of his disgust and rejection. But he was determined to let her see for herself that he wasn't going anywhere no matter what.

The image of her face as she came was spectacular. Her mouth was wide open in a silent scream before she belted out her pleasure. Her skin was flushed the most beautiful shade of pink that he knew no one besides him had ever…or will ever…see. Her skin tasted sweet like strawberries, vanilla, and sugar. Yet it also tasted salty because her overheated skin had produced sweat.

He looked down and groaned at the sight of another erection.

**OoO**

When she finally did wake it was only 45 minutes after 7. She shot up quickly and a bit disoriented. She felt as if she had a pound of cotton balls in her mouth. She quickly flicked the sheet off her body and made to get off of the bed.

She paused—startled at her state of undress—before remembering the events that had occurred just minutes before. She gathered the sheets about her; hiding her breasts from the chilly air. She realized that he was gone. In a moment of panic she looked around only to discover a folded up piece of paper on top of one of Edward's white dress shirts that was neatly laid out on the bed besides her.

Inside was one simple word, '_kitchen_', in a messy careless scrawl that only men seemed to be able to achieve.

Her brow furrowed before she grasped the sleeve of his shirt and pulled it to her body. She slid it over her head before getting up off of the bed. She made her way to the bathroom to rinse her mouth with mouthwash to get rid of the taste sleep had left behind. She made her way to the door and peered out into the warmly lit hallway.

She walked forward a few steps not noticing the curving leg of one of the bookshelves in the hallway. She stubbed her foot on it and let out a yelp. She hissed in pain and lowered herself to the floor; still gripping her foot. "Ow." She whimpered.

A pair of pale hands clasped around her own. She gasped—startled—as Edward pulled her to his body by her leg. "I hurt myself." She whimpered; sorry for her own clumsiness.

He removed her hands from around her foot and pressed his cold fingertips against her toes. She sighed in relief. He looked up at her before looking back at her foot. He brought it to his mouth and kissed each of her toes before looking up at her again. Her mouth was gaping with surprise. "Better?" he asked softly.

She nodded numbly and reached her arms out to him. He lifted her up easily and cradled her to his chest as he carried her down to the kitchen where their dinner waited. They ate in silence. As he cleared the dishes away she spoke up in a small voice. "I'm yours right?" she sounded unsure.

"Yes." He answered without hesitation.

"Which part?"

"All of you, I would say." He replied, not knowing where she was going with her question.

"But which part is most important to you?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked confusedly as he pulled her up from the kitchen stool and into his arms. He preferred carrying her. "Bed or living room?" he asked off-handedly.

"Bed." She whispered. "I mean…is my body the most important thing to you."

He almost stumbled.

"No." he mumbled, wondering what brought on her line of questioning. He set her on the bed and crawled over her. He carefully kept his weight off of her as he gently laid his hand over where her heart was beating wildly. "This is most important to me." He paused. "I want to know that I will always have a place here…not matter what." He sighed. "That is what's most important to me."

"Then you have it." She whispered. "It's yours."

He kissed her cheek and let his hand slide into her hair to reveal the side of his neck. He paused and let the anger overtake his expression. He ran his fingers lightly over the four crescent moons on one side of her neck. "Bella?" he whispered.

"Hmm?" she hummed.

"Fingernails? He used his fingernails?" he asked. She nodded. "Does it hurt?" he wondered aloud.

"No." she whispered.

"You were bleeding Bella." He said.

"Nothing can hurt me." She whispered.

"Why do you say that?"

"I mean that nothing can hurt me more than you can."

"But I won't hurt you." He said without hesitation.

"I can't be sure of that." she whispered.

"Why not?" he asked.

She paused, not knowing what was holding her back from excepting him and his passionate patience and kindly understandings of the little quirks in her that showed just how broken she was. "I…" she trailed off.

"You don't know how to answer that…do you?" He surmised.

"N-no." she stammered.

"Why do you think that is?" he prodded.

She sighed, staring deeply into the bright green depths of his eyes and couldn't resist being hypnotized by them. "Because deep down I know you're right." She whispered. "You won't hurt me."

**A/N: I promised you drama, didn't I?**


	18. Chapter 18

**IMPORTANT A/N**

**I want you guys to know why I wrote this story.**

**Most of this story is based on personal experience, so I know that with the right person there for you, you wouldn't need years of therapy, and you would heal fairly quickly.**

**My mother was raped and tortured from 2004 to 2008. Now? She's remarried (just having celebrated her one year anniversary) and thinking of having another child. It's all about surrounding yourself with people who love you and help you heal. It's all about removing doubts from yourself and others. But even now my mother has doubts about my stepfather. It never really goes away.**

**I wrote this story because I wanted my main character to have the justice my mother never had. Unfortunately for her, the man who hurt her is still out there.**

**I hope that I have answered some of your questions. If you have any more, feel free to ask them.**

**But I ask you to refrain from asking about those four years of torture my mother had to endure. Don't take it the wrong way; it's just none of your business.**

**Please give this story a chance even though it may still seem a little hokey to you. I'm not writing it for shits and giggles. It's for my mother and the justice she deserves but never got.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

"What are we dealing with here?" A tall blonde woman asked as she walked into the viewing room.

"I'm sorry. Who are you?" Emmett asked with slight annoyance at the woman.

"Rosalie Masen. I'm from the federal prosecutor's office."

"Masen?" Emmett questioned.

Rosalie looked at him as if she was determining whether or not he was mentally capable of understanding anything. She nodded her head slowly. "Masen." She confirmed.

"You're not in any way, shape, or form related to Captain Alec Masen the Assistant Director…are you?"

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Yes. He's my father." She said.

Emmett scratched his head nervously at her calloused stare before turning to look back at Felix. "Felix Volturi aged 23. Son of Aro Volturi's recently deceased brother, Demetri Volturi." Emmett sighed. "He worked for Aro, kidnapping the girls that were supposed to…_work_…at Volterra." Emmett cleared his throat and tugged at the knot of his tie. He knew that Rosalie was burning holes into the side of his head.

"Why isn't he with his uncle right now?" Rosalie questioned.

"He says that Aro banished him from Volterra because he was 'dipping into the merchandise'. His words, not mine." Emmett clarified. "He tried to…" he paused and cast a look at Bella, who was staring into the interrogation room with a disturbingly blank stare. "He tried to rape someone last night." Emmett whispered. "Her name was —"

"Isabella Swan. Yes, I know." Rosalie whispered back as she chanced a look at Bella who looked like she was too lost in thought to even comprehend what they were talking about.

"Er…He's also got a record. A shit ton of domestic violence charges." Emmett said.

Rosalie nodded and went to stand in front of the glass and turned her head slightly towards Bella. "You're Isabella right?" she asked in a much softer more maternal voice then the hard emotionless voice she was using with Emmett.

"Bella." Bella corrected softly as she snapped out of her concerning trance.

Rosalie smiled. "Bella. I'm Rosalie. But most people either call me Rose…or bitch. Whichever you prefer." She offered with a sardonic smile. She was very frank…her sense of humor was also very strange.

Bella smiled, liking her no nonsense attitude. "Rose will do." She murmured. Rosalie smiled back and looked into the interrogation room at Felix. His face was scarred and cut up from what Edward had done to him the day before.

Bella felt Edward's hand on her shoulder. "You're afraid of him."

"I'm afraid of all of them Edward." She said softly.

"But you're more afraid of Felix Volturi than you are of Jacob Black? Why?" he asked.

Bella sighed. "He was…obsessed with…with _mutilating _a women's…" she trailed off when she felt Edward's grip on her shoulder tighten. "He wanted to mutilate them…and then _rape_ her so she'd feel more pain." She gulped. "He never got a chance to do it though." She chuckled humorlessly. "Even Aro thought that he was crazy. He kept him away from the girls who were…old enough. He wouldn't dare touch the younger ones."

Edward said. "But he said that the reason he wasn't with Volturi anymore was because he did exactly that."

Bella shook her head. "He's lying. He's never alone with a girl for any period of time. It's merely a fantasy he wants to live out but…he has never gotten the chance to do so."

Edward nodded, trying to think of why Felix wasn't working for Aro any longer. "Let's get started shall we?" Rosalie said.

"I'm coming in with you." Emmett stated.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Why?"

"Just in case." Emmett said.

She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "Are you implying that I can't take care of myself?" she asked.

Emmett gritted his teeth. "I'm _implying_ that due to his obvious dislike of women he might talk to me instead of to you."

Rosalie jutted out her chin defiantly but conceded to his wishes. Emmett entered the room first. Felix remained relaxed in his chair but as soon as Rosalie entered the room he stiffened in his seat. His face twisted up in anger.

Rosalie sat down opposite him whiles Emmett slowly paced the floor behind Felix, daring him to make a mistake.

"We know that you know where those girls are." Rosalie began.

Felix snarled. "That's nice. And what the fuck am I supposed to do with that information." Felix said sarcastically. "And I don't think I gave you permission to speak little girl." He sneered.

Emmett grabbed the back of his neck. "Watch it." He warned.

Felix shrugged free of Emmett's grip. Emmett walked away and began to pace once again. "Just tell me where they are and I might be able to cut you a deal." Rosalie recommended.

Felix leaned forward. "What kind of deal?" he asked suggestively licking his lips at her.

Rosalie narrowed her eyes at him. "Keep going with the sexual references and you'll have to marry some large Mexican on death row for protection in prison. You'll probably like being his bitch." Rosalie smirked at him as he sneered at her.

"Tell me what kind of deal we're talkin' about here." He asked roughly as Emmett gave him a look from over Rosalie's shoulder; silently telling him to keep his anger in check.

"If you cooperate we'll grant you a reduced sentence."

"To how much?" Felix asked.

Rosalie sighed. "Well, based on the fact that you worked for Aro Volturi, kidnapping countless little girls for him, the fact that you tried to rape someone _just_ last night, and the fact that you have a history of abusing women? I'd say that without a deal you'd get the life in prison without the possibility of parole."

Felix gulped. "And with the deal?" he prodded.

"25 to life."

Felix scoffed. "Fuck that."

"Excuse me? That's as good as you're gonna get." Rosalie informed him stiffly.

"I'll tell you where Aro is, where all the girls are, and where he keeps the drugs if you grant me immunity."

"No deal." Rosalie interrupted as soon as the word 'immunity' touched his lips.

Felix slouched backwards in his chair, knowing that he wouldn't be getting anywhere with her. "Fine." He leaned forward with a sick smirk on his lips—knowing that Bella was behind the mirror watching him, he wanted to scare her. "How 'bout, you let me bend you over this table and then I'll tell you where they are."

Rosalie smirked back at him, unfazed. "Don't think so. It's not my most favorite position." She dished it right back at him.

His smirk fell before a grin spread across his face. He leaned to the side so that he was looking directly into the mirror. "Hey Isabella?" he called. Bella stiffened in her seat behind the mirror. Edward grabbed onto her shoulders.

"Ignore him Bella." He whispered into her ear.

"Remember that game we used to play?" Felix asked with a sadistic smirk. Bella's eyes widened in fear. She looked up at Edward who was looking at Felix with a confused expression. She was certain that once Felix finished with his taunting, Edward surely wouldn't want her anymore. Felix continued, "The one where I'd get someone to hold you down." His voice darkened, "Whiles I slowly cut your panties off and then make little cuts on your—"

Rosalie stood suddenly and leaned over the table with a dangerous glint in her eyes. "You're really asking for me to lock you up till you're dick rots aren't you." She snarled at him ferociously.

Felix stood up so suddenly, Rosalie jumped backwards. "Would you prefer to take her place?" He growled.

"Hey!" Emmett yelled as he pushed Felix back down into his chair. He leaned over and whispered something into Felix's ear. Felix scoffed and relaxed into his chair, glaring at Rosalie. Emmett walked over to her and grabbed her elbow—leading her into the viewing room before letting her go with a slight shove.

"What the hell is your problem?" Rosalie yelled at Emmett. "I had it under control." she enunciated each word; lacing them with her rage as she shrugged her suit jacket into the proper position on her shoulders.

"You did not." Emmett argued angrily.

"Yes I did."

"You were practically askin' him to blow up." Emmett growled and waved his hands in the air angrily. He motioned towards Felix.

"You fucking think he's gonna talk to you? No!" Emmett shouted. Rosalie flinched.

"He's gonna fuckin' mess with your head until you blow up. And that's exactly what you just did."

Emmett pointed his finger at her. "Unfortunately for your fucking feminist ideals and morals, it's a man's world out there. The sooner you get that into that thick as fuck skull of yours, the better." Emmett growled at her. He opened his mouth to continue but then Bella grabbed her head and screamed out. "Stop yelling!" her elbows touched in front of her face as if she was shielding herself. "Stop…stop…stop…" she mumbled as she slowly sank to the floor.

Emmett stepped forward slightly looking remorseful.

"No!" she screeched as she curled up into herself even further. Rosalie got to her knees on the floor and tentatively wrapped her arms around her. When she saw Edward take a step forward she shook her head at him, silently telling him not to.

He paused with a pained look on his face and he clenched his fists in an effort to keep himself from reaching out to her. He turned his head and glared at Emmett allowing his lip to curl back over his teeth in a silent snarl.

Emmett, however, looked regretful.

Rosalie whispered to her. "Its okay, Bella. No one's going to hurt you anymore…you're safe. Don't you feel safe?" she whispered.

Bella shook her head 'no' and began to rock back and forth.

"Well you are." Rosalie whispered.

"What if they come back?" Bella mumbled.

"They won't Bella. You'll get justice." Rosalie said quietly before whispering, "Just like I did." Emmett stiffened upon hearing that.

Bella looked up at her. "You too?" she asked.

Rosalie nodded her head. "I was about your age. He thought that because he was rich he was above the law…he wasn't…he was convicted and is currently serving a life sentence for the rapes of other girls. Don't you want that?" Rosalie asked. "Don't you want to know that you put these sick men in jail forever? Don't you want to know that they will never again hurt anyone else?" Rosalie asked.

Bella nodded her head.

"That's only gonna happen if you stay strong Bella." Rosalie whispered. Bella's arms fell down from their place around her head. She perched them on top of her knees before leaning her forehead down on them. "Can you stay strong for me?" Rosalie asked. Bella nodded. "I'll stay strong for you too." Rosalie grabbed Bella's pinky with her own in the childish symbol of keeping a promise.

Bella let out a sob and nodded her head.

Rosalie tilted her head up to look helplessly at Edward, Emmett, and the startled computer technician who had recorded everything. She looked back at Bella. "What do you need Bella? Please tell me honey." Rosalie pleaded.

Bella's body shook with her salty tears and strangled sobs. "I want Edward…I want my Edward. Where is he?" she cried. "Where's my Edward?" she yelled weakly. Edward stepped forward and kneeled besides Rosalie; gingerly taking Bella into his arms.

"I'm right here Bella."

Bella lifted her head and perched her chin on top of her folded up arms. Her unbruised cheek was red and blotchy from her tears. The bruise on her other cheek had lightened to a yellowish green…soon it would be gone.

Rosalie looked up at Emmett who was watching on with anger and frustration. "Can you get him out of there? We'll continue this later."

Emmett gave a short nod, turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him heatedly.

Rosalie huffed angrily and pushed her long blonde hair backwards. Grabbing the hair tie from her wrist she pulled her hair into a messy ponytail. "This is gonna be a long one. I can tell." she groaned. She stopped and looked back at Bella.

"How can you not be afraid of him?" Bella asked as Edward pressed his lips to her temple; he could feel her pulse thumping wildly beneath her skin.

Rosalie chuckled humorlessly. "Oh, I am afraid of him. I'm afraid of all of them." She whispered the same words Bella had said just minutes prior.

Emmett entered the interrogation room, pulling Felix up by his collar. "Remember that game Isabella!" he called. "We should play it again sometime!" he yelled as Emmett pulled him out the door to his holding cell. Bella folded her arms over her middle as she held in a sob.

"Bella." Edward whispered. She shook her head and pressed her lips together. He folded his arms underneath her legs and around her back; lifting her gently from the floor. "Please don't call me unless it's absolutely necessary." Edward said softly. Rosalie nodded—moving ahead of him to open the door for him. He walked out whispering a small thanks.

He made his way through the building holding her sobbing form in his arms. The other agents continued with their work. They knew who she was. They knew who was in one of the holding cells at that very second. They knew what her sacrifices were. They knew about her past and her present state of mind, so they did nothing but send a sorrowful glance in her direction as Edward walked past with her, before returning to their work.

He walked into his office and set her down on the couch. As he moved to stand up she grasped onto his collar more firmly. His hands clasped around hers and tugged gently. "It's alright." He whispered. "I'm not going anywhere." She released her hold on his collar so he could stand. She sniffled and swallowed thickly. He walked to the window looking out into the hallway and pulled the blinds shut before disabling the mechanism that made his office door open automatically. He pulled the blinds over the door as well and sat down besides her; pulling her onto his lap so that she was lying across it on her side. He sighed deeply and pushed her mahogany hair back from her sticky forehead.

"You're so afraid of him. You have no reason to be." He whispered.

Her eyes welled up with tears. She took in a deep breath before speaking shakily. "I-I'm not afraid of him." She said. "I'm afraid of what happened after." She whispered.

Edward clenched his fists. "What do you mean, 'after'?" he questioned.

Her face scrunched up in pain and a sob broke through her lips. "After he would…cut me, _he_ would be so angry when he found out." She whispered.

"Who?"

"Master Jacob." She clutched the sides of his jacket.

"Bella." Edward said with a forced calm. "He is _not_…your _master_."

She breathed in deeply. "You are." She whispered. It came out sounding like a question, as if she was waiting for him to verify what she would fear the most.

"No, Bella…I am not either. I am your equal." He spoke softly. He paused. "Maybe it was too soon…what we did last night." He clarified.

Her eyes widened and she gulped. "It wasn't." she whispered, looking up at him pleadingly. "I wanted to." She looked away, biting at her lower lip. "I liked it." She said shyly. She couldn't even describe how much she liked knowing that intimate touches weren't all painful. Some felt good…his touches made her feel special, as if she was the only person in the world.

"Do you still want me?" she whispered; thinking that he realized that she was to broken and scarred to ever _be _with in that way. She couldn't have that. She didn't know why but she felt as if she had to make sure she hurt him before he could hurt her. She hated that some aspects of their relationship seemed so much like Catherine and Heathcliff's from 'Wuthering Heights'.

He pulled her away from him and looked at her crest-fallen expression. "Bella. _Nothing_ will _ever_ make me stop wanting you. Not even what he said." Edward wiped at her tears. "Please…don't doubt me."

She reached up with her arm and pulled him down by his neck so that she could kiss him. Her lips were eager yet her kisses were sloppy and wet. He understood what she wanted. She wasn't asking him to make her feel good. She was asking him to let her be close to him. She just wanted closeness. It wasn't until he realized that she was sobbing into the kiss that he knew just how much she wanted normalcy.

He remained still, letting her take from him what he needed. He didn't know what would happen if he responded to her kiss. He didn't know if she would become frightened of his intensity.

She became more persistent as she clamored up his body to straddle him. She held in her cries as she pressed her lips to his firmly. He remained stoic and unmoving like a statue, his eyes wide open. She pushed her fists against his chest and held herself away from him. She bowed her head and sobbed before hitting his chest with her fist. "Why won't you kiss me back?" she cried. "Are you bored of me already?" she sobbed angrily. "_They_ never got bored…t-they a-always came back for more." Her sobs had made her words almost inaudible. But he heard her and the arm he had laying uselessly at his side reached up to hold her waist tightly…safely…securely.

"Bella." He called to her as he reached his other hand up to cup her cheek. Her whole body jerked backwards as she flinched.

"I'm s-sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry." She cried over and over again. She leaned her forehead against his chest and took in one large gasping breath. "I can't do anything right." Her voice was quiet yet thick with emotion.

"My love..." he pleaded.

"Don't call me that!" she screamed and punched at his chest uselessly. "I don't deserve it." She cried.

"Why not?" he challenged.

"B-b-because I'm disgusting and ugly." She screamed. She scrambled to lift her long bohemian style dress up her legs. Once the hem was at her belly button she pushed to waistband of her panties down slightly to reveal layers of thin scars crisscrossing in no particular order as if it was done in haste. "Can't you see?" she screamed before releasing her hold on her panties. She leaned against him tiredly before whispering. "Why can't you see?"

"Because there is nothing _to_ see other than a strong beautiful woman who has taken my heart and possesses it so completely it's impossible for me to ever love again." He brought his hand up to cup the back of her neck. "Why are you trying to push me away?"

"What if you're not real? What if none of this is real? What if I'm still back there?" she asked.

"You're not. If you were…you wouldn't be able to feel this." He trailed his fingers along her back. The stinging electricity that bounced between them was almost visible. Her breath quickened.

"You feel it too?" she asked with a trembling voice as she tried to get her breathing under control.

"Yes." He said. "It's everywhere you are." He whispered.

She looked up at him. "You're not bored of me?" she inquired as her chin quivered; a promise of more tears.

He smiled at her sadly. "I never will be…especially with this…" he trailed off and traced the scars on her back. The static between them burned hot and blue; almost dark and destructive in its flaming heat. He sighed against her hair. "I think that you're trying to push me away before I have the chance to do it myself."

Her face blushed crimson at his accusation. He was perceptive. She tucked her head underneath the arm that was holding her waist but he wasn't having that.

He used his other hand and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her away from her hiding place. His fingers traced her blush; feeling the heat of her blood. He smiled, feeling great joy because of the pulse beneath her skin.

She had survived. She had been brave. She _was _fighting. He liked to think that she did it for him…that somehow she _knew_ that he would eventually be her salvation. He had to know though. "Why did you fight, Bella? What made you want to survive?" he questioned as he stared at the way her neck moved as she swallowed.

The angry bruises from where Jacob had strangled her that last day were gone. He traced the creamy skin over her collarbones as he waited for an answer.

She shrugged slightly as goose bumps erupted on her skin. "I didn't want to die there." She whispered and then sighed. "But when I _do_ die—"

She was cut off by the suddenly tight grip he had around her waist. "You're not gonna die." He said; he was upset by her train of thought.

She brought her hands up to hold his muscled biceps, silently telling him to loosen his grip. He did, but only slightly. "I'm gonna die eventually."

His eyebrows came together and his lips pursed in a slight pout. His eyes were a brooding jade color as he stared at her. Now it was his turn to look away. Again, he stared over her shoulder at the blinking lights on the bland grey office phone.

Her right hand reached up to cup his cheek. "What's wrong?" she asked, completely oblivious to what her words about her death were doing to him.

"I don't want to talk about this." He said softly as he looked back at her with pleading eyes.

She leaned backwards slightly at the hurt in them. "Why not?" she asked.

He simply shrugged.

"Does it bother you?" she asked. "Me dying?" she clarified.

"Would it bother you if Alice talked about her death or if I talked about mine?" he asked passionately.

Her eyes became wet as she imagined his body lifeless and cold without his kind heart beating in the rhythmic pattern that had become her lullaby. "Yes." She mumbled before pressing her face into his neck. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Don't apologize." He said. "You didn't realize it." He brought his hands up higher to hold her closer as he inhaled her precious scent. He purred with satisfaction as her hands moved to around his neck. She absorbed his heat greedily. His sun kissed scent permeated the air around her, wrapping her in a blanket of calm. "I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Why is it that you'd been there for two years, yet no one has ever…_bought_ you?" he was genuinely curious.

"I've never been up for auction before."

Edward grimaced at her casualness. He would have to speak to her about it. He was certain it wasn't healthy. "Why not?"

"I was too important to Aro. Apparently, I brought in all the business."

"But why—"

"He was…_is_…afraid of you. He didn't want you to find out that you had _me_ to choose from as well…so he put me in the auction…although it wasn't technically an auction." He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "There was no auction. There was just the line of girls for your choosing. I think he didn't want to anger you if you bid for someone you wanted and ended up not having her…me." She amended.

"I still don't understand why he would give you up."

"I think I do." She whispered. He looked down at her questioningly. "Masen." She said.

His eyebrows shot up in understanding. "My undercover name." he smirked. "I knew that would work."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I figured that if I used the surname of the man—Captain Alec Masen—that was trying to bring Aro Volturi down…he'd have some kind of fear." He grinned. "I didn't think he'd be so afraid he'd give me 'special' treatment."

She looked up at him. "You're very strange." She surmised with slightly narrowed eyes.

His grin grew. "So I've been told." His grin fell slowly. "I need to talk to you about something."

"What?" she asked.

"You're so…_casual_ about everything."

"So?" she raised her eyebrows.

"It's…disturbing to say the least." She bit the corner of her bottom lip.

"Oh." She looked down.

He cupped her cheek; a little bit happier to discover that she only flinched ever so slightly. He gently forced her head up so that she was looking at him. "It drives me insane when you talk about the depraved things those _monsters_ did to you without any emotion at all…as if it was the most normal thing in the world." He sighed, frustrated. "I'm not asking you to drown yourself in the memory when you tell me something that bothers you or scares you…or just something you want me to know about you. I'm just asking you not to be so detached when you tell me." He pressed his lips to her forehead.

"I'll work on that." she promised with a small smile. "Can I ask you something?" she questioned.

"Was that it?" he joked; trying to get rid of the tense atmosphere. She looked up at him with a serious expression. "What is it?" He noted her seriousness.

Her eyebrows came together. "Last night…" her face blushed crimson. "…why didn't you take my panties off?" her voice was shy but curious. "Why didn't you touch me…there?" she asked.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Because I know that you are still in pain…because I know that it would've been too much for you."

"Oh." She sighed.

"There's something else." He surmised. "What is it?"

She grimaced slightly in embarrassment and slightly in fear before looking up at him again. "Would you ever…want…" she sighed. "…to go in the other way?" her voice was nothing more than a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked confusedly.

"I mean…" she looked up at him and shifted her bottom on his lap.

His eyes widened and he stuttered out. "God no Bella." He let out a nervous chuckle.

"Oh." She whispered. "Um…why not? I thought most men liked…_that_."

"I'm not _like_ most men Bella. You know that already." He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Besides. I won't…fit." He whispered the last word.

Her brow furrowed. "But the others did."

"Bella." He warned.

"Sorry." She whispered. "I still don't understand why…"

"I'm…bigger…than the average man. Let's just leave it at that."

Her eyebrows raised in understanding. "Oh." She paused and worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Can _I_ ask you something?" Edward asked.

She nodded.

"I thought that Felix was never alone with any of the girls…how did he…" he trailed off.

"Sometimes…when I was going to my room from the dining room, he would be in the hallways…Aro never knew about it. He'd get one of the gaurds to…hold me down. He always had a razor blade hanging from his neck by a piece of black yarn…he'd use that. He only did it to me because he knew that I wouldn't tell." Her voice was thick with emotion as he looked up at him, expecting pity…maybe even rage.

Instead she saw love and admiration…anger was the predominate emotion in his eyes as his gaze burned into her flesh. He had no idea how to respond so he said nothing. He stroked her hair softly in a soothing manner.

"Can we go see Emmett?" she asked quietly.

Edward's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"I don't want him to think I hate him because he yelled at Rose." She said.

"Is that why you…broke down? Was it because he yelled?" he questioned.

She nodded her head and hummed an affirmative.

"He won't hurt you…or Rosalie. He's harmless Bella. He was just angry because he couldn't do anything to stop Volturi from saying those things."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes." He slid her off of his lap and stood; stretching his long body out. He turned and pulled her up off of the couch, leading her out of his office.

He knocked on the wall besides the sliding glass doors of Emmett's office before stepping in front of the doors. They slid open quickly to reveal a very frustrated looking Emmett. He looked up at them before looking away ashamedly. He sifted through the pile of papers as if he was looking for something, when in reality it was a way of avoidance.

Bella looked up at Edward, telling him that she would be fine. Edward mumbled something unintelligible before turning and leaving.

Emmett sighed and looked up at Bella when Edward was gone. His eyes were tired. "I'm…sorry for yelling like that. I realized…far too late that it was a huge mistake."

Bella smiled at him genuinely. "I forgive you." She turned her head to look out the glass doors. Rosalie was talking to a blond haired man; gesturing angrily with her hands as the man shook his head with a smug smile on his lips. "But…I don't think she'll forgive you so easily." Bella nodded her head at Rosalie.

Emmett grimaced. "I know." He looked up at her and smiled impishly. "I could use some help though."

Bella smiled at him. "That's something you're going to have to fix on your own Emmett."

"Right." He said with a nod. He stood. "Well, Edward's probably yanking his hair out tryin' to figure out what the hell we're talkin' about…by the way, you should really try to rid him of that habit." She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Of running his hands through his hair?" he clarified.

Bella laughed. "Oh…I don't know really. I find it endearing." She smiled.

"It's endearing until he goes prematurely bald." Emmett whispered conspiratorially.

"I guess you're right." Bella turned and let Emmett lead her out the office by placing his hand on the small of her back.

Rosalie looked up from her discussion with the young man holding a beige folder to glare at Emmett before returning to her conversation. "I hope she forgives me before she eats my face." Emmett chuckled into Bella's ear. Bella smiled up at him. It quickly fell once she saw two FBI agents pulling Jacob out of the elevator. "Bella look away…if he speaks ignore him." Emmett spoke quickly as he tried to pull her away. She stayed frozen in her place.

"Isabella!" Jacob growled. "I hear you saw Felix today. I hope he didn't cut you up too bad. It would be a shame if your tight little body had to go out of commission whiles you heal." One of the FBI agents holding him was trying—unsuccessfully—to get Jacob to stop speaking.

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up." Emmett growled. "Unless you want me to fucking shoot your balls off."

Jacob scoffed and was roughly pushed into the interrogation room that sat down the hall from Emmett's office. The two agents looked at Bella apologetically.

"Ignore him." One of them said. "He's an asshole with a tiny dick who likes to act all high and mighty to compensate for his lack of…manliness." He smiled; trying to get Bella to do so as well but failing miserably.

"Bella." Emmett whispered and turned to her. She was staring—with wide eyes—at the spot Jacob just occupied.

She jumped slightly when she felt his electrical touch on the small of her back. He pulled her flush against his body; leaning down slightly to kiss the juncture where her neck met her shoulder. "Bella." Edward called to her. She swallowed against the fear in her throat and looked up at him; giving him a small smile before looking down at the floor.

She heard a sigh before Emmett reached up and lightly tucked his index finger underneath her chin. He nudged her head up and said, "Never look down Bella. Hold your head high." She stared at him with wet eyes; watching as his dimples deepened as he smiled at her sadly.

Edward pulled her to his side; turning to walk down to the elevator. He looked back at Emmett once inside, giving him a quick nod as the door closed in front of him. Bella curled up into his side, her arms slipping underneath his suit jacket so that she could hold onto his belt. He made his way to his office and pushed the door open; not yet ready to turn on the automatic mechanism.

He pushed her against the wall besides the door. She made a small noise of discomfort in the back of her throat. He pushed off the wall so that each of his hands was besides her head. She looked afraid. "It's still me Bella." He promised her.

She visibly relaxed, yet stayed on guard as the stormy summer green of his eyes darkened to a fiery jade. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers, breathing in deeply, partly to calm himself and partly to have her scent take over his senses. "Kiss me." She whispered.

His eyes flew open. She watched as his pupils dilated in accordance to the change in light. He swallowed audibly before pressing his lips to hers. He watched as her eyelids fluttered closed before his did the same.

His tongue snaked out to lick gently at her pink lips. With his teeth he gently tugged on her lower lip; pulling it into his mouth so he could suck on it. He loved the feel of her soft plump flesh between his hard teeth as his tongue laved over her pink skin languidly. He pulled back slightly before letting his tongue peak out to trace her bottom lip. He smiled upon noticing that it no longer tasted like her. It tasted like his own mouth.

She had remained squirming beneath his touch as his torment continued. He moved to her top lip and sucked it into her mouth; feeling her hot breaths trail down his neck as she exhaled heavily with each pass of his tongue over her lip and behind it; along her gums and smooth teeth. Her hands twitched at her sides.

Hesitantly, she raised them to grip his shirt over his rib cage. She opened her mouth, welcoming him. With his tongue, he traced the 'o' her lips had formed before pressing his mouth more firmly to her own. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, making sure it traced languorously around her mouth before finally settling on her own tongue. She gasped and pushed her body up into his. He trailed one of his hands down her body to settle on her hip. He hitched her leg over his own hip before doing the same to her to her other leg. He held her up so that his arousal wasn't pressed against her; she had no idea how much she affected him.

The hand that wasn't holding her up moved upwards to cup her breast. She gasped and squirmed as he squeezed it softly, holding its soft firmness in his palm. She felt her skin begin to burn as blood rushed to its surface and caused a deep blush to spread all over her body. She felt the burning in the pit of her stomach and between her legs.

His lips were so gentle against hers and his tongue was firm and sure as it lazily moved around her mouth. His taste filled her. The sweet tangy peppermint of his mouth made her own mouth water. Just as his tongue traced over the roof of her mouth she felt the burning sensation explode in a fiery inferno; sending waves of pleasure through her as her body flushed with arousal.

She gasped; her mouth opened in a silent scream as she let the pleasure infiltrate her ever cell, setting every nerve ending on fire.

He looked at her strangely before realizing that without meaning to he had made her cum. Her body relaxed, going limp. She closed her eyes and hummed in contentment. His hand came up to cup her cheek. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

Her eyes flashed open, causing more tears to slide down her cheeks and join the others that had pooled in the corners of her mouth. She sniffled.

"I…didn't ask you." He clarified when she gave him a strange look.

She smiled up at him with an emotion in her eyes that could only be described as pure euphoria. "It's alright. If I wanted you to stop I would have told you."

"You trust that I would have listened?" He asked her incredulously. She nodded her head. Edward smiled at her proudly. Soon it became almost sad though. "Why were you crying?" he asked as he brushed some of her tears away.

She sighed. "It's just that…I'm not used to…kindness. Thank you for being so nice."

He smiled at her again. "It's not kindness or just 'being nice' Bella. It's called love." Her face flushed and she looked away. He smiled at her shyness. He pressed his lips into her hair. "I'm glad you trust me so much. But still…I should have asked."

"It's fine Edward." She tried to reason with him.

"What if I went too far before either of us realized?" He sounded like he was talking to himself mostly. He shook his head at his own stupidity. "What if I accidently take your virginity next time?" He asked her directly this time.

Her mouth fell open and her eyebrows shot up. "I'm…I'm not a virgin Edward. You know that." She mumbled.

His brow furrowed. "Have you ever had sex before? Or made love?" he questioned.

She remembered back to one of the conversations they had had. _"Why do people like having sex?" she asked suddenly as she turned her head to face him._

_He raised his eyebrows at her sudden question. "There are many different reasons."_

_"Like what?" she asked._

_He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Some people do it because it makes them feel closer to their partner…other people do it because it feels good."_

_She looked down at her fingers. "It never felt good to me." She said quietly._

_He took a look at her sad face. He could see her lip trembling and tears forming in her eyes. He knew that she thought that there was something wrong with her. He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "That's because you've never had sex or made love, Bella. It was against your will. Eventually, you would want to do it and it won't be against your will. It'll feel good." He whispered._

"No." she whispered. "I've never had sex or made love before." She looked up at him.

Edward brushed his hand across her cheek. "That's right. You're pure and innocent and I want you to know that no matter what happens you'll always be that way." He kissed her closed eyelids softly. "You _are_ a virgin."

She breathed in deeply. "Thank you Edward." She whispered. "Thank you for _everything_." She was so grateful; she had no idea how to put it into words.

"As the only man in the world who loves you enough to take on the universe to be with you…it is my duty and honor, Isabella, to do all that I have done." He smiled at her sadly.

**A/N: Please review.**


	19. Chapter 19

**NYNancy:**** You probably couldn't send me a PM cause you weren't signed in…idk.**

**Thank you for the info. At least now I don't have to go off the fucking handle and ask, "Why people, why?" every time I see the word 'barrier'. I was just going from my own personal experience and from the internet. I guess you really shouldn't trust the bastards on Wikipedia…fuckers.**

**You know what I also hate? That you had to replace letters of 'bad words' with a fucking asterisk because FFN is a pansy ass site that tries to cover their **_**own**_** asses by not allowing people to curse as much as they fucking want. **

**They are also…fuckers.**

**Sorry…heheh…more ranting.**

**OH! Please, please, please, sign in the next time you review and ask a question. I don't really like showing my readers that I curse…a lot. Also, I realize that some readers don't like my replies to their reviews made…public…**_**idk**_**…people are weirdos. **

**Thanks again for the info…**

**My gyno looks like Obama…he creeps me out…please tell me you don't look like Obama…I'm pretty sure you're a woman.**

**If you're a dude…you must really love your job.**

**P.S.: I hope I haven't offended you…I tend to do that to a lot of people…again…idk…people are weirdos. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

"Can you say it again?" she asked him with wide eyes.

He looked at her…the emotions in her eyes…the pain and neediness. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek gently. Her eyelids fluttered as she flinched before she relaxed into his touch. Leaning his forehead on to hers, he whispered, "I love you."

She sighed softly through her nose. Letting a small hum of contentment grace her lips. She opened her eyes. "Do we have to stay here anymore?" She asked him.

He smiled at her. "No…we can go. I just have to finish some stuff up. Can you stay here?" he asked.

She nodded reluctantly.

He sighed. "You can lie down a bit whiles you wait for me." He suggested.

"Okay." She whispered reluctantly. She sat down on the couch and stared at him. He had hesitated at the door; not wanting to leave her side as a devastating feeling of desperation to constantly feel her against him took over his body.

With a deep sigh and a sad smile, he turned and left. She fell on to the couch with a defeated sigh. Curling her body into the fetal position, she fell asleep quickly.

The door to Edward's office was pushed open (the automatic mechanism was still disabled). A small feminine head peaked in. Her normally impeccable spiky black hair was messy with worry. She made her way to the couch with Jasper following behind her hesitantly.

He wasn't sure if he was overstepping some of Edward's boundaries by letting Alice into his office, so he merely sighed and slid the door shut behind him. Alice had seated herself on the floor. She had folded her legs Indian style. Leaning forward slightly, she smiled and moved a stray strand of hair that was caught between Bella's lips. She sighed and leaned forward until her nose was almost touching Bella's.

Jasper watched on with a confused half-smile.

Alice pulled back a little before blowing a short cool stream of air into Bella's eyes.

She woke with a start; jumping up slightly before relaxing back into the couch.

"Hi." Bella muttered sleepily.

Alice smiled. "I heard what happened yesterday." Alice whispered.

Bella smile sadly. "You always said I was a magnet for danger."

Alice shook her head a little before asking, "What's wrong?" as she took in the sad expression on Bella's pale face.

"I had a dream about Esme." Bella paused, noticing Jasper for the first time. She sat up and folded her arms protectively over her stomach.

Alice's brows furrowed. "She's a little sick…doesn't want to give you whatever it is that she has."

Bella raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Didn't I say that yesterday?" Alice asked confusedly. Bella shook her head. Alice shrugged. "Let's go find Eddie." Alice said as she pulled Bella off of the couch.

**OoO**

They walked down the hallway together; Jasper had subconsciously placed his warm hands on the small of their backs as if to prove to Bella that he would cause her no harm.

When they turned the corner, Bella immediately froze and pushed herself backwards into Jasper's chest. Alice's eyes flashed with rage as she took in the sight of the man just feet away. His dark eyes gleamed viciously as an evil smirk spread across his brown face.

"Hello Isabella." He said. Bella whimpered uncomfortably.

One of the FBI agents that were escorting him was trying to get the door leading into the solitary jail cell open with no luck. The FBI agent holding Jacob grabbed the back of his neck. "Say one more word and you'll be sorry." The red haired man said.

Jacob merely shrugged him off and continued. "Do you see what you do to me?" He grinned and looked down. Bella gulped and looked down to where a small bulge was forming underneath his orange jumpsuit.

"You bastard!" Alice screamed as she ran forward. She brought her knee up; kicking him right between his legs. He froze; shocked by the pain that radiated through his body…his bones…his muscles. With a gasp he fell to his knees and to then onto his side.

The FBI agents looked just as shocked as Jacob did. Jasper had winced and kept Bella behind him. Alice continued to kick Jacob even as other agents began to gather to see what the commotion was about. Each grunt as her foot connected to the thing that had hurt Bella the most filled her with more and more satisfaction.

Bella was shocked by the anger Alice seemed to be holding in. Eventually, Edward had suddenly appeared; pulling Alice away easily by her waist. "I'm not finished with him!" Alice screamed viciously.

Bella looked back at Jacob. He turned onto his stomach; sitting up slightly before he emptied the meager contents of his stomach onto the bland grey carpet. There was nothing but a light brown liquid; it was all the coffee Edward was constantly giving Jacob.

Edward was whispering words into Alice's ear telling her to stay calm. Even though he was over a foot and a half taller; weighing 130 pounds more than she did, he had trouble holding her still. He was still so much larger than her and definitely stronger, so eventually she slumped against him and stopped her fighting. Edward let out a sigh of relief.

Jasper gasped when he saw that there was blood covering the crotch of Jacob's jumpsuit. Quickly he turned Bella away when others let out similar gasps as they began to notice as well.

"Fucking bitch." Jacob squeaked out pathetically. "I'm chargin' you with assault." His voice shook. He began to heave once again. Bella looked back to see what everyone was staring at but the way Jasper had urged her not to by nudging her shoulder gently made her turn the opposite way.

Minutes later, paramedics arrived. They handcuffed Jacob to the gurney before making their way to the elevator. As they waited for the doors to close, Jacob spoke. "Why the fuck did you people handcuff me?" His voice was several octaves higher than usual. "It's not like I can fucking walk."

The doors closed as the paramedics shook their head at the disgusting man they were supposed to try to help.

The other agents who had seen what had happened began to cheer Alice. Their celebrations were interrupted when Alec's loud voice echoed down the hallway. "Cullen!" He yelled. "My office…Now!" He turned to walk before looking back with a small proud smile. "And bring the hyperactive midget with you." He added; nodding in Alice's direction.

He walked back towards his office; his smile widening into a grin before he chuckled and shook his head.

Edward looked at Alice. "I think he was talking about you." He said.

Alice shrugged. "A'ight." She bobbed her head up and down and slapped her hands together. She was happier after her outburst.

"Um…I'll stay with Bella?" Jasper offered though it came out as a question.

Edward and Alice both eyed him skeptically before looking at Bella with raised eyebrows. She looked up at the Jasper who had wild blond hair and kind blue eyes. She looked back at Alice and nodded her head. Alice squinted at her as if to ask Bella is she was sure.

Bella looked at Edward—who was eyeing Jasper—and then looked at Jasper as if to say that she felt as safe with Jasper as she did with Edward.

Alice nodded. Edward had seen the whole thing from the corner of his eye as he continued to assess whether or not it was a wise choice to leave Bella alone with Jasper. Now he knew how Alice had gotten Bella to calm down when they put her in the tub to soothe the bleeding between her legs.

They had a strange way of being able to speak to each other silently.

Edward's green eyes saddened. If he had known how close Alice was to Bella he was have started searching for her as soon as she disappeared.

He couldn't help but feel guilty. If he was more involved in Alice's life he would have known Bella. He would have protected her and known that someone was after her. It was his _job_ to know. If he was more involved; the past two years may never have happened.

He knew that if he told Bella what he thought, she would hold a small inkling of resentment towards him. Bella knew that because Felix had kidnapped her for Aro, she had taken the most sadistic men away from the other girls and had possibly saved their lives.

No matter what, Bella couldn't bring herself to wish that the past two years didn't happen. Because if it didn't happen; the amount of those young girls found dead years after their capture would have been increased exponentially. Edward knew that Bella knew this. He couldn't believe just how self-less she was.

Alice grabbed his hand and tugged him backwards when she realized that Bella wasn't afraid. Edward sighed and followed her tug but not before leaning over and placing a soft kiss on Bella's forehead. He turned around and walked towards Alec's office.

Jasper pursed his lips and looked down at Bella. Her face was set in a pout; her bottom lip jutted out ever so slightly and her eyes wide and watery. "Aw. Its a'right my southern Belle." Jasper drawled.

She looked up at him and he brought his hand up to cup his jaw. "Please don't look at me like that." He begged.

She looked to her left where all of the FBI agents began to retreat back to their cubicles and offices. She looked back up at him. "Shit." He muttered when her lip quivered. "Do you want ice cream?" He suggested hopelessly.

Bella shrugged and looked down.

"Hey." Jasper called to her. She looked up again. "You can talk to me ya know." He said with a sad smile.

Bella nodded. Jasper sighed.

"How 'bout a low fat frozen yogurt?" Jasper suggested. Bella wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I know right? _Nasty_. Soooo, ice cream then?" he asked.

"Yes please." She whispered shyly.

"There ya go darlin'." He whooped proudly before leading her down to the cafeteria.

**OoO**

They stood by the small freezer, looking at the ice cream flavors available. "What would ya like?" Jasper asked.

Bella shrugged. "Strawberry?"

Jasper made a face. "Really?" He asked.

"What?" Bella asked self-consciously as a strawberry red blush spread across her cheekbones.

"It's just that…it's so average…I expected somethin' like Mango Sherbet or somethin'."

Bella glared at him playfully. "Average?"

"Yeah!" Jasper said. "You're conforming to what the _man_ wants…your followin' the rest of the crowd. I thought you'd be someone who marched to the beat of your own drum." Jasper spoke enthusiastically.

A few agents just looked at him through his rant; rolling their eyes and shaking their heads at him.

Bella chuckled. "Don't you work for, 'the man'?" She used air quotes around the last two words.

Jasper's brow furrowed. "What's your point?" He asked.

**OoO**

She fell asleep, leaning on Jasper's shoulder as he finished her Mango Sherbet after consuming his own Pistachio flavored ice cream. She was mumbling. He couldn't make out the words but the annoyed look on her face was adorable to him.

He smiled, raising the arm that was wrapped around her. He grazed the tip of his pinkie finger over the cupid's bow of her top lip. Just like the other 12 times he did it, she wrinkled her nose and peaked her tongue out of her mouth—licking her lips a little—before her tongue disappeared into her mouth once more.

The first time he did it was to merely wipe a little excess Mango Sherbet off of her lips, but the second, then third, and fourth and so on was merely because it made him want to say, 'Aw'. This, in itself was strange since he never thought something was adorable before.

He sensed her before he saw her. Seconds later, Alice was seating herself on the other side of the table. Edward took a seat besides Bella, flicking Jasper's arm off and replacing it with his own.

"Hey guys." Jasper whispered. "Watch this." He brought his pinkie finger up to Bella's lips and grazed it across the cupids bow once more. She wrinkled her nose and right on queue her tongue peaked out, passing over her lips a few times before disappearing into her mouth. Her mumbling resumed as well as the annoyed look on her face. "Aw." He whispered. "She's so fucking cute."

"Jasper." Edward said. "She's a beautiful woman…she's not just 'fucking cute'."

"I am 24 Goddamn years old. This little girl is 17. Lord_ help_ me the day I think she's a 'beautiful woman'. I'm goin' with fucking cute Goddamnit." Jasper pounded his fist on the table.

Bella gasped, fully awake at the sound of his fist pounding against the metal surface of the table. "What happened?" She questioned as her eyes opened.

"Nothing honey." Alice said, sending a glare at Jasper who was rubbing at the stubble on his chin.

Bella's eyes drifted up to Edward who was giving her the most loving smile she had ever seen. "You're pretty." She mumbled before her eyes closed once again. The smile on Edward's face widened.

"Ya know." Jasper began. "She does sleep an awful lot."

Alice looked back at Bella. The even paces of her breaths told her that she was asleep again. "What does that mean? Is that bad?" Alice's voice held worry.

Jasper scratched the back of his neck. "I could run a quick blood test to see what's going on." He suggested.

**OoO**

Bella sat down on one of the stools in Jasper's lab. Jasper went into the storage closet and produced a needle quickly. He grabbed some cotton balls, a bandage, and some rubbing alcohol from the first aid kit and set up station on the table surface right besides Bella.

Alice was nervously gnawing on her thumbnail whiles Edward had subconsciously pushed his hand down the back of Bella's dress. He traced along the whipping scars on her back as well as the impossibly smooth skin that made up the rest of her back.

Jasper grabbed a pair of latex gloves from the box on the countertop. Bella watched with wide eyes as he approached. Her nostrils flared and she whimpered, leaning away from him. "What's wrong?" Edward questioned as he felt her heart begin to race against his palm.

"I-I don't like the smell of latex." Bella whispered and looked up at Jasper.

He ground his teeth and clenched his jaw before looking at Edward whose lips were pressed into a hard line. "I won't use gloves then darlin'." He quickly pulled the gloves off and threw them in the wastepaper basket.

After squirting hand sanitizer into his hands and rubbing them until they were dry, Jasper began to look for a vein. He pressed his fingers against the crease of her elbow; searching with furrowed brows. "Huh." He said after a few minutes.

"What?" Alice said.

"I can't find a vein." He paused. "Clench your fist for me darlin'." He asked Bella.

She quickly did as he asked. He found the vein and shook his head already knowing what was wrong with her.

But just to be sure, he decided to proceed with the blood test. He grabbed a rubbery strap from the table and commenced trying to tie it to a squirming Bella. Jasper placed a hand on her shoulder. "What wrong Hun?" he asked her.

She paused and let out a small breath. "I don't like things tied around me." She whispered after a few minutes.

"Don't worry Bella. Nothing bad is going to happen." Alice soothed.

Bella looked unconvinced. "Something bad always happens." She whispered. Alice looked helplessly at Edward.

He leaned down and kissed her temple. "Does anything bad happen when I'm around?" He asked in her ear.

She bit her lip and looked up at him. "No." She said quietly.

"Why do you think that is?" Edward asked with a smile.

Bella frowned and closed her eyes. "Because you won't _let_ anything bad happen to me?" She said, although it came out sounding like a question.

"Right." He paused moving closer to her ear before whispering, "and being tied up isn't always a bad thing Isabella." She opened her eyes and looked into his dark ones. Her breath caught and she flushed red before looking back at Jasper.

"You a'right now darlin'?" he questioned.

Bella nodded shakily and held her arm out for him. He tied the rubbery strap around the top of her arm and placed the needle against her skin. She clenched her eyes shut but barely felt it as Jasper pierced her skin. He quickly pushed the tube like collector into the back of the needle. Her body pumped blood into the tube. Once it was filled Jasper produced another tube and replaced the fuller one with it.

Alice wrapped her arms around Bella from behind and held her gently; knowing what her reaction would be if she were to see her blood squirting out into the tube. Once the tube was filled he removed it as well as the needle; quickly pushing a cotton ball against her wound. He set the full tubes and the needle down on the table and grabbed a bandage, sticking it over the cotton ball.

"Done." He announced.

"How long will the tests take?" Edward asked.

Jasper shrugged. "Meh…it'll be done soon. I could call you with the results. I think little Bella here wants out." He laughed as he undid the rubbery strap from around her arm.

Edward nodded. "You ready to go?" He asked.

Bella nodded.

Edward looked at Alice and raised an eyebrow. He wanted to be alone with Bella a little bit. "I'll…stay here and help Jasper." Alice said looking at Jasper with a smirk.

"Um…ah…okay." He stuttered. "Wait. Edward?" Jasper asked. Edward—who was helping Bella off of the stool—looked up.

"Yeah?"

"What happened with Alec?"

Edward smiled. "Alec lectured us about violence against prisoners."

"And?" Jasper prodded.

"I threw 'water boarding' in his face."

Jasper folded his arms across his chest. "And then he yelled some more." Jasper finished. "But what happened with Black."

Alice snorted. "Apparently, I broke his dick." She said.

"You what?" Bella questioned.

"A penile fracture." Edward clarified with a glare sent in Alice's direction.

"A what?" Jasper asked.

Edward rubbed the back of his neck and looked to Alice for help. Alice groaned. "The main reason I kicked his balls were because he got a hard-on right in front of us…_ass_." She muttered. "Apparently, when you kick a guy…_ahem_…down there…when he has an erection…it does a fair amount of damage." Alice smiled at Bella. "They are removing it because it's so badly damaged."

Bella's eyes widened. "Removing what?" She asked.

"His dick." Edward said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can we move on now?" he asked desperately.

Bella hid her smile and nodded.

Edward turned to Jasper. "When you call with the results I have to talk to you about something."

Jasper nodded. "We'll see you later."

**OoO**

They had finally made it to his car, both of them sighing deeply once they were inside. He started the engine and looked over at her with a thoughtful expression. "You want to go to the grocery store with me?" he asked. He wanted her to have some sort of normalcy in her life. She nodded.

He smiled and pulled away from the curb. He arrived at the grocery store and helped her out of the car. After pushing the cart into the store he paused at the entrance, looking out at the countless aisles. "What do we need?" Bella questioned.

Edward smiled. She had said, 'we'.

"Well…we have steaks, chicken, vegetables, rice, and pasta. We've got fruits." He responded.

Bella's brow furrowed. "Then what did we come here for?" Her nose wrinkled in confusion.

Edward scoffed. "Bella, you hardly seem like the type of girl who eats fruit salads and breakfast bars."

Bella's eyebrows shot towards her hairline.

"Junk food, my dear." He whispered conspiratorially.

Bella's eyes widened playfully. "Oh!" She gasped before nodding her head. "Right." She pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes pretending to look around the store for anyone who could have heard what Edward said.

"Come along, smart ass." Edward chuckled. His hands clasped around her waist as he lifted her up and set her on the little bar on the bottom of the cart. He wrapped his hands around the handle bar and began to push her around the store.

The height the cart provided her allowed the top of her head to reach his jaw. She leaned back into his chest and let him push her. There were hardly any shoppers around since it was only 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

They were in the breakfast aisle.

"What would you like? Pick anything you want." He said.

Bella contemplated her choices as if she was planning her last meal. After 10 minutes she had narrowed her choices down to Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Puffs. She looked between the two with narrowed eyes before Edward groaned behind her. "Just take both." He whined.

Bella scoffed and gave him a scathing look. "Where is the fun in that?" She asked with a face so serious it made his stand a little straighter.

"_Ahem_." He cleared his throat. "I had no idea what I was thinking…recommending something so horrible." He said with a grimace.

"Sarcasm is not appreciated." She sang at him.

He placed his chin on top of her head. She had begun to bounce a little on the bar that ran across the bottom of the cart so he brought his hand up to hold her shoulder down.

He wondered what had her feeling so giddy all of the sudden. She had had a rough morning. After everything that had happened with Felix and then Jacob, he had thought that she would have been more catatonic.

He was beginning to see the real her. The _sarcastic_, _quirky_, _ridiculous_ her. He _had_ realized that what she was doing was utterly ridiculous, but he let her be, wanting to enjoy the happiness that seemed to ooze from her smooth skin.

He saw what he assumed was what she was like before her world was ripped away from her two years before. He could see now why Alice loved Bella so much and why she was so crushed when she disappeared.

Bella was perfection. She was so completely perfect when she was happy it was astounding. She wasn't perfect in the traditional sense—plastic and robotic. She was _real_ in her perfection.

She didn't always say the right things—some of the things she _did _sometimes say who completely put Edward on edge. She had no coordination whatsoever. Her lips were always horridly chapped because of the way she obsessively bit them. She had the worst case of bed head…and yet, through all of that, she managed to achieve perfection in every sense of the word.

The way she blushed and hid behind her hair, the way she would _let_ him take care of her, they way she managed to make him ache to be in her presence because of the sheer joy he would get from looking at her…that was her perfection.

She made people love and laugh. He couldn't—for his own life—think of the reason the men at Volterra would want to break someone like her. The mere thought of her in pain made him flinch. Jasper and Emmett had already fallen in love with her, and so had Rosalie. Alec admired her because even though she had been through so much, she still had the courage to look him in the eyes the first time they met. All of the other agents respected her deeply for facing the men who had tortured her yet still managing to keep a brave face.

When he was younger, he had thought that being brave meant that you weren't scared. Looking at her trying to decide something as menial as which cereal she wanted whiles fighting the pain of her body being bruised and scarred—he realized that bravery wasn't about not being afraid. It was about having the courage to do what was right even if you _were_ afraid.

By facing Felix and Jacob and helping to put men like _them_ in jail, Bella was doing what was right.

Bella was _brave_.

**A/N: What's your favorite cereal?**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I think I'm addicted…to True Blood…**

**Yes, I gave in and decided to watch it. What's weird is that I've always wondered why girls (and some guys) are Team Eric when Bill is so nice.**

**Eric is a demented asshole but he is fucking hot…and Swedish…and tall…and Swedish…did I say that already? I think I should say it again…**_**Swedish**_**.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Bella sat with a small pout as Edward easily swerved through traffic. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. She looked up at him and quickly looked away.

"Aw Bella! Come on." He pleaded.

She huffed. "You didn't have to buy so much." She grumbled.

"It's not too much." He insisted.

"You bought over 200 dollars in junk food Edward!"

He shrugged. "So."

"It's not even real food." She pointed out.

"Pfft. Junk _food_ Bella. It is food."

She narrowed her eyes at him and fumbled with her seat belt; finally getting the strap behind her so she could reach into the back seat. She pulled out a giant bag of gummy bears. "_This_…" She shook the bag in emphasis before continuing. "…is not _food_, Edward."

"Someone, somewhere out there in the other 7 billion people on this planet considers gummy bears, food, my love." He said. "And it wasn't _that_ much." He added.

"How was that 'not much'? Bella asked.

"It's only 200 dollars Bella."

"That's a lot of money Edward." Bella said.

"Bella, if we add together what we have in the bank and the money I am currently making from the FBI and the money that comes in from all of the investments I have made…I could buy a small country if I wanted to."

"Then why don't you." She mumbled. "I'm sure we could all use another 'King Edward'."

"Oh, you're so funny." He deadpanned.

Her brow furrowed. "You said 'we'."

He looked over at her, "Huh?" he questioned.

"You called the money in the bank, ours." She said.

"It is ours. You are a Cullen, Bella." _I can hardly wait until you're legally a Cullen._

"What do you mean 'until I'm legally a Cullen'?"

"What?" Edward said as he flashed a quick look in her direction. "I said that out loud?" Bella nodded.

"Um…uh…"

"Are your parents going to adopt me?"

He let out a breath. "Boy I hope not."

She raised her eyebrows.

"That would be weird Bella." He pointed out.

She smiled softly and shook her head at him.

**OoO**

He watched her with a small smile on his face. She was asleep on the couch in his office as he continued to type up his report for the Aro case. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He looked at it. It was Jasper. He picked up quickly. "Hey man." He answered.

"Hey." Jasper responded. He cleared his throat nervously. "She's anemic." He said.

Edward leaned forward and pinched the bridge of his nose, resting his elbow on the desk in front of him. "Well you get right to the point, don't you?" Edward responded with a nervous chuckle. "Why do I have a feeling that there's more?"

"When I was taking blood, you saw that I had trouble finding a vein, right?" Jasper asked.

"Uh huh." Edward said as he stared at Bella.

"She's so dehydrated her veins are collapsing." Jasper said worriedly. "I did a hemoglobin count…it was 9. A girl her age and weight? It should be _at least_ a 16 or 17. Because she's so dehydrated I can't get a proper reading so it could be even lower than that." He finished.

Edward sighed. "How could this happen?" He whispered helplessly.

Jasper bit his lip on the other line and looked at Alice who was rocking back on forth on his office chair. She looked up at him with watery blue eyes. They held so much sadness, Jasper had to look away. "At some time…in the recent past…probably only a few days before you had gotten to her…something happened to her."

"Something's always fucking happening to her." Edward spat in a hushed tone.

"She lost _a lot_ of blood Edward. I don't know how and I don't think I want to know…but I do know that if _anything_ happens that makes her lose even more blood, and her count gets below a 7, she's going to have to be admitted to a hospital for blood transfusions."

Edward held his breath for 6 seconds before releasing it slowly. "What do I do?" He whispered.

Jasper made his way over to where Alice was sitting. She shifted over so that he could squeeze into the seat. He pulled her onto his lap and held her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face there.

"First, she needs to start taking iron supplements for the anemia. I suggest three pills a day. Uh…ask her if she's ever had irregular bleeding with her period. If she has, she should consider using a contraceptive to stop her periods, at least until her levels are within healthy ranges."

"Anything else?" Edward asked. He had found a pen and begun to write things down.

"She needs fluids. Lots of fluids." Jasper said.

Edward nodded. "Thank you." He said.

"You're welcome." A pause. "What was it you had wanted to talk about?" He asked.

"Uh…" Edward scratched his eyebrow with his thumb. "A state trooper had attempted to pull over an 18 wheeler with an unmarked trailer today."

"What happened?" Jasper asked.

"The driver wouldn't pull over…the chase went on for another 37 minutes before the truck ran out of fuel."

"Well?" Jasper prodded.

"The driver wasn't trying to outrun the police because of what was in the trailer. He didn't have a license…or a green card for that matter." Edward sighed.

"Shit." Jasper whispered.

"I'm pretty sure that, Volturi—as a precaution—won't use trailers anymore, so that plan's out." Edward shook his head at the stupidity of it all.

"What was in the trailer?" Jasper asked after a few minutes.

Edward laughed humorlessly. "Porn…fucking boxes and boxes of _porn_." Jasper grimaced and looked down at Alice. "Thank you...again…for everything. Why aren't you a doctor?" Edward joked.

"Meh…I fuckin' hate needles." Jasper laughed.

Edward's brow furrowed. "Then how'd you stand taking blood from Bella." He asked.

"I'd do anythin' for her." Jasper said. "Look man, I gotta go. Alice doesn't look too good."

"Alright. Bye."

"Bye." They both hung up.

He placed his face in his hands and rubbed at his eyes before looking back at her. He stood up quietly and made his way over to her. He got down on his knees beside her and pried her hands off of the upholstery of the couch. The fact that she still clung to things in her sleep was disconcerting.

Her hands subconsciously struggled against his grip; _needing _something to hold onto. He wrapped her arms around his neck; allowing her to grip the back of his shirt. He wrapped his own arms around her. "Bella." He whispered. He kissed the tip of her nose. She whimpered and stretched her back. Her eyes opened slowly and took in the worried look on his face.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Edward looked down. "Jasper just called with the results to your blood test."

**OoO**

They slowly made their way up and down the aisles of the pharmacy located in the back of the nearby Rite Aid. Edward stopped. Bella—who wasn't paying attention—slammed right into his shoulder. Edward quickly grasped her waist to keep her from falling over. He looked down at her. "You are exceptionally unobservant of your surroundings."

She blushed. "Why'd you stop?" She asked softly.

"I found it." He picked up a small red box that said 'Iron' in large green letters. He made his way over to the cashier. Taking a quick look at the small Chapstick dispenser and then at Bella's lips, he decided that he should get her some before she made herself bleed. He picked up the strawberry flavored Chapstick and placed it on the counter with the box of Iron tablets.

Despite being rather 'unobservant' she did notice that the cashier was leering at her inappropriately. She moved so that she was half-behind Edward, with only her head peeking out at the man who reminded her so much of the men who would stop and stare at her as she traversed the hallways at Volterra.

Edward noticed but said nothing; he grabbed the bag out of the cashier's hands and glared at him as he led Bella away. "Sick perverts." He muttered loud enough for the man to hear him. He unlocked his car, which was parked right outside and threw the bag into the backseat. "Do you want pizza?"

She hadn't had pizza in over two years. The last time was when her mother had made it for her from scratch. Bella nodded. Edward held her left hand in his right one; pulling her in front of him so that he could wrap his left arm around her. With her back pressed firmly against his chest, she felt safer…as if nothing could sneak up on her and surprise her.

He led her down the street to a small family owned pizza place. When their pizzas came Edward stared on in surprise as Bella used a fork and knife to cut a small piece of pizza off and then gingerly place it in her mouth. He chuckled, "Bella." He called.

She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Why are you using a fork and a knife?"

She shrugged. "If I don't, I'll get tomato sauce on my face."

He smiled. "So?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You won't get mad at me?" She asked.

He reached across the table and intertwined their fingers. "No, love, I won't get mad." She nodded and picked up the pizza and took a tentative bite. True enough; a small drop of sauce was stuck to the small crease of her lips. He smiled at her encouragingly.

A group of loud boisterous men came in. They were obviously drunk; stumbling about and laughing at nothing in particular. Edward rolled his eyes at them and continued to eat silently with Bella. The group of men had ordered something and was standing waiting for it. Mischievous eyes landed on Bella. Ribs were jabbed with pointed elbows as she continued to draw the worst kind of attention from the group.

Edward noticed and quickly decided that it was time for them to leave. "We should go." He suggested with a quiet voice.

Bella had finished eating and was currently picking at her pizza. She looked up at him. "Okay." He stood up slowly; pushing his chair back and stretching to his full height. He allowed the flap of his jacket to swing to the side; revealing his gun and his badge tucked into his holster. He moved around the table to help Bella stand from her seat. They made their way to the cashier to pay for their food. Edward removed his wallet and picked out a few bills. Bella took a sip out of the soda bottle in her hands as they waited for the pimply teenager to give them their change.

He cast a dangerous look in the group's direction. Throats were cleared and heads were ducked as he glared at them before leading Bella out. "You're a magnet for danger." He concluded as they walked out into the night.

She smiled sadly. "Alice always said that."

Edward laughed and shook his head. A small noise made them stop short. He looked down at Bella who shrugged and looked into the alleyway to their left. There was movement. Without needing to think, Edward had Bella behind him and his gun drawn.

He waited with baited breath for what was to come. Bella shivered behind him in the chill of the night air and wrapped her hand around his bicep, peeking around him on her tiptoes to see what was going on. Her soda bottle had already dropped from her hands and rolled to an unknown location on the sidewalk.

There was a shadow moving towards them from the alleyway. Edward placed his finger on the trigger of his gun as he aimed into the alleyway. There was more movement and another small whimpering noise before the source of the noise emerged from the alleyway.

It was…a kitten. It looked up at Edward and tilted its head to the side. It blinked and then meowed. Bella smiled widely and went to pick it up. "Bella!" Edward stopped her. She looked at him questioningly. "What if it bites you?"

Without meaning to, she rolled her eyes at him. Her eyes widened in shock, unable to know why she had just disrespected him so.

He saw her fear and glared playfully. "Fine…pick it up." He tucked his gun away and folded his arms across his chest. She blushed brightly and bent down to take the tiny kitten into her arms.

With the current lighting, she couldn't really tell what it looked like. She could however see that the kitten had glowing green eyes. "It has your eyes." She whispered.

Edward brow furrowed. He stared down at the kitten with a grimace. "What?" He asked incredulously. "This thing's eyes are fucking glowing in the dark…my eyes don't look like that."

She raised her eyebrows. "Yes they do." She insisted.

"Really?" he asked.

She hummed an affirmative. Edward raised his right hand and poked the kitten's cheek with his index finger. He grimaced when it looked up at him and meowed. "Can we keep it?" She asked hopefully.

He looked at her. With her eyes shining and her lips turned up into a large white smile, there was no way he could deny her. With a reluctant sigh, he nodded. "But it needs stuff for the night." He led her down to the Rite Aid once more.

They quickly found litter, a litter box, dry food, and wet food. The entire time, Bella was cooing at the cat. She couldn't really be sure—because the cat was so dirty—but she could see that it was beige and had a white underbelly. White fur covered the tips of its paws as well as all the way up to the tip of its nose.

Its eyes had darkened to a jade green color as it sat purring in her arms.

Edward placed all of the items on the counter. The same man was still there. He didn't dare look at Bella inappropriately as Edward stood there.

The kitten was restless the entire journey over to their brownstone. After setting up the cats litter box in the small closet beneath the staircase he put some food in a bowl for the kitten as well as some water. He sat down on the floor Indian style and petted the kitten's head as it ate.

Bella appeared and sat besides the kitten, folding her legs up to her chest. "Is it a boy or a girl?" She questioned as she tilted her head to the side and looked at the underbelly of the kitten.

"It's a boy…neutered actually." Edward said.

Bella raised her head to look at him. "Does that mean that it's someone else's kitty?" She questioned sadly as she picked up the kitten and settled it in her lap. She nuzzled its face and closed her eyes with a pout set firmly in place.

"Uh…well, most pounds neuter and spay cats when they reach two pounds. He's probably a runaway. He doesn't have a collar and if he doesn't have a microchip, I think you can keep him."

She looked up at him hopefully. "Really?"

Edward nodded with a smile and looked back at the cat and wrinkled his nose. "It needs a bath."

Bella nodded.

"I'll go get some shampoo. Can you fill the sink with water?" he asked as he nodded towards the kitchen sink.

Bella nodded and got up with Edward's help. She plugged the drain in and turned the faucet on. Once Edward came back with a bottle of Bella's strawberry shampoo in his hands, the sink was full a quarter of the way so she turned off the water.

"Where's Kitty?" He asked as he set the shampoo down.

Bella shrugged and looked to the floor. The door leading out of the kitchen swung open slightly and Bella and Edward watched at the beige kitten wandered off into the living room. Edward disappeared into the living room for a few moments before returning with the kitten. Bella looked worried.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked as he set the kitten on the counter besides the sink. It walked to the edge of the surface and looked down. Upon seeing how far the drop to the floor was, it promptly back up towards the wall.

"Cat's don't like water." She said. "What if he hates me after I bathe him?"

"He won't hate you." Edward encouraged as he placed the kitten in her arms.

With a sigh, Bella placed the kitten in the water. It stood still for a second, looking around before circling a few times. It held its front paw up and shook the water off before doing the same to the other. After doing this twice, it realized that once he shook the water off, he had submerged it in water once more. Defeated, he sat down in the water. It looked up and meowed. "Jeeze." Edward winced.

Bella had a similar look on her face. "That was loud." She concluded.

Edward chuckled. "Yes it was." He passed her a small bowl. She filled it with water from the tap and poured it over the kitten's back. Bella refilled the bowl and let Edward squirt a little shampoo into it. He swirled his finger in it and let Bella continue washing the kitten. He grabbed a few towels from the linen closet and once the kitten was finished bathing, they wrapped it in the towel.

He squirmed around and managed to slip out before wandering out into the living room once more. They found it lying against the couch cushions, trying to lick the water off of its fur.

They made their way up to their bedroom to get changed for the night, even though it was only around 7.

"Edward." She called to him. He was going through his closet, picking something out for the night.

"Yeah?" He asked turning around.

She was wringing her hands nervously. She bit her lip shyly and looked up at him. "Um…I was wondering about something you said earlier today."

"What?" He asked as he loosened his tie.

She spit it out quickly before she lost her courage. "You said that being tied up wasn't always a bad thing." She gulped and folded her arms across her chest.

He raised his eyebrows. "You want me to tie you up?" He asked.

She nodded and fidgeted with her dress. She looked up to see him wrapping his tie around his hand in an almost threatening manner.

She gulped and backed away from him until her back was against the wall. "Why are you doing this?" He asked, once he was in front of her. All she could focus on was the tie in his hands. He reached up and tilted her head up. He saw fear in her eyes. "What are you trying to prove?" He asked.

"N-nothing." She replied. The tears in her eyes told him otherwise.

"I'm not going to do it." He said.

He saw her breath out a sigh of relief and yet her words were a complete contradiction to her body's actions. "Why not?" She asked.

"Because you're doing this to prove a point…I'm not going to touch you _intimately_ so you can prove a point to me Bella." His voice was almost angry.

"What point am I trying to prove?" She asked, defeated.

"That you're not even the _slightest_ bit afraid when I _do_ touch you."

She swallowed. "I'm never afraid." She insisted.

"Liar." He said before she could even finish her sentence.

She looked up at him and surprised him with an angry glare. "What about when you _do _touch me? Isn't that to prove a point? Isn't that to prove that I shouldn't be afraid?" She questioned heatedly.

He opened his mouth to respond but she pushed past him and ran out their bedroom door before he could say anything. With a growl of frustration he threw his tie to the other side of the room. He changed out of his clothes quickly and into a white t-shirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants. Once he was finished, his clothes were strewn across the room because he had discarded them angrily. He picked them up and put them in the clothes bin, satisfied that his anger had significantly diminished.

He went looking for her with nothing but worry and an apology in his mind. He heard the radio playing in the kitchen. He pushed the door open softly and found Bella washing a cookie sheet angrily. He saw the angry red marks on her hands as she scrubbed at the sheet with the sponge.

A familiar rhythm echoed from the speakers of the old radio that sat besides the stove. He smiled and went to wrap his arms around her waist from behind. She had already sensed his presence because of the electricity his body always gave off.

Leaning down, he stilled her hands and kissed her tears away before he began to sing the words of the song playing from the radio.

"_When I see your smile, tears run down my face. I can't replace. And now that I'm strong I have figured out how this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul. And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one. I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and stars are falling all for us._"

"_Days grow longer and nights grow shorter. I can show you I'll be the one. I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven. Because you're my, you're my, my, my true love, my whole heart. Please don't throw that away because I'm here for you. Please don't walk away and please tell me you'll stay, stay. Use me as you will. Pull my strings just for a thrill and I know I'll be okay, though my skies are turning gray. I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all even if saving you sends me to heaven._"

By the end of the song, she had turned in his arms and had her face pressed against his chest. "Edward." She whispered and sniffled. He held her tightly. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too." He said.

"But I still want to know…" She trailed off.

"Bella." He warned.

"I want to know why you said it wasn't all bad." She whispered.

He sighed and looked down at her. "It's not to prove anything?" He asked.

"I just want to know." She spoke the truth.

With a pensive stare, he was decided. He quickly had her in his arms and out towards the staircase. The kitten was asleep on the seventh stair; curled into a peaceful little ball.

Edward sidestepped it and made his way to their bedroom. He laid her on their bed and went to his closet; he grabbed a silky red tie and returned to where she was sitting up on the bed. This time—when Edward wrapped the tie around his hand—she didn't back away in fear. She flushed red in impatience.

He pealed the dress off of her as if he needed to cherish every inch of new skin that was revealed to him. He licked at her pale skin once the dress was completely off and thrown to the floor somewhere. "I'll start slow." He promised.

She whimpered and nodded her head. He pushed her hands up so that they were above her head. He held them there in a light grip. Without even trying, she could free herself if she wished.

She hadn't been wearing a bra so her breasts were free. He began by licking at the valley between her breasts. She arched her back so that he would turn his attention elsewhere but he never strayed from his path to her collarbones. He sucked dutifully at her flesh with suggestive little flicks and swirls of his tongue.

She already felt her skin begin to flush as she neared her climax. He hadn't even _touched_ her yet. He licked up to her jaw and bit down softly. She groaned and wriggled her wrists about. "Tighter." She begged. She wanted him to hold her wrists down even _more_.

"I don't want you to feel helpless, Bella." He said, looking up at her. Her taste began to leave his mouth so he leaned down and began to plant wet kisses along her neck.

"I always feel helpless around you, Edward." She whimpered.

He looked up at her.

"Please." She begged.

He bit his lip pensively and sighed before tightening his hold on her wrists. As he licked at her skin around her breasts he thought about leaving her on the edge of the dark abyss; hanging helplessly as she writhed for him.

Again, he was decided.

She whimpered as he moved to her collar bone. He dragged his tongue over her fragile skin, letting it's pink magnificence dip into the hollow of her throat. He moved to her neck and planted soft fluttering kisses along the bluish green networks of blood vessels that thumped even faster beneath his touch.

She felt herself drawing closer and closer to the precipice. On instinct she tried to move her hands to his hair, but he still had her wrists pressed against the bed.

"Oh god." She whimpered as he opened his mouth and sucked her skin into his mouth; making slow circles with his tongue.

She trembled against him before her eyes rolled back into her head. With a cry she arched her neck into his mouth and came hard enough for her to lose her breath.

He pulled away from her with a confused stare. "Did you just—"

"Uh huh…" She mumbled a few other words and he was certain he heard her say 'love'. She was incoherent.

He smirked proudly. She tried to glare at him and his cockiness but her eyes chose not to. "Being hypersensitive isn't a bad thing now is it?" He asked rhetorically.

"Uh uh." She replied dazedly.

He smiled again. "More?" He asked darkly.

She looked up at him; he was so eager to see her come again. She had no idea why. She didn't think that there was any way for him to get any pleasure…but alas…she was wrong. He _did_ get pleasure from making her feel like her skin was on fire—in the best of ways of course. "It's okay." She replied softly as she looked into his excited eyes.

He grinned crookedly—not a happy grin…a dark one that made her skin flush pink all over again. He leaned down and let his scent engulf her. "I think you need more." He replied.

She stared at his tongue as he spoke—his lips were soft and inviting. She wondered why he liked kissing her chapped lips.

Her thoughts were interrupted as he dipped his head and took her nipple into his mouth. She cried out and immediately had her hands in his hair. With a slight 'pop' he released her; watching her flesh move on its own before it stopped.

"No touching." He said.

"But…" She understood why he had decided to do what she wanted. A small part of him wanted to show her that there is nothing to be afraid of…he was replacing bad memories with good ones. The last time someone held her down, she was begging them to let her go. It was because she wanted to push them away…kill them…watch someone beat them for her…

But, she was _dying_ to have her hands free to roam his broad shoulders, the thick muscled cords of his neck, his soft silken hair, and the hard planes of chest. But the fact that _wanted _to touch him…not push him away was what made her force her arms up towards the head board where he wrapped the silky tie around her wrists and to the wrought iron headboard.

Even though he denied it, she knew that he was proving something to her…it wasn't all bad…with the right person, it could be very good.

**A/N: Heheh…so yeah…review…'nd shit.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

She laid with her head buried in her pillows. She had gotten up later that night to use the bathroom. Whiles washing her hands, she chanced a look up and gasped when she noticed that the bruise on her face was gone.

She thought that she would be thrilled that the mark Jacob had left on her was gone. She thought that she would smile upon seeing her clear pale skin once more.

She didn't.

He stirred besides her and pulled her soft body closer. She kept her face turned even when he whispered her name. It was early…only 7 o'clock, but he felt the need to make her a nice breakfast.

It was Friday. Just _one_ more day and he would have her all to himself for the weekend.

She had only been with him since Sunday, and the fact that she could stand to have his body pressed against hers like it was…the fact that she hummed in satisfaction whenever his lips touched her cheek…the fact that she grew _so_ much…it was like a miracle.

Unfortunately, he knew that something big was going to happen. A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that it would be bad. He knew that it would be a long day.

After whispering that he was going to go make breakfast for them, he pressed his lips to her hair and slid off of the bed to the bathroom. After brushing his teeth he made his way out of the bathroom, noting that she hadn't even moved from her spot.

She pushed herself up with her arms when she smelled something delicious. She rubbed her eyes as she slowly made her way to the bathroom. She had not yet had a painkiller, so her thighs were sore as well as the sensitive flesh between them. She walked slowly so she wouldn't reopen the wound that had bled a few days before.

She brushed her teeth so hard her gums bled. She was nervous about Edward seeing her face clear of bruises. She felt that once he did, he would see the _real_ her. All the pain and sadness would be perfectly clear without a bruise obstructing what was there.

He would realize just _how_ broken she was with one passing look at her face. With a deep breath, she washed her toothbrush and turned the water off before turning to go downstairs.

She hesitantly peeked her head into the kitchen. Edward was just taking something out of the oven. The kitten was busy crunching away at some of the dry food that was there. She was certain he hadn't noticed her yet—but he could always sense her presence.

She picked up the kitten and held it to her face, nuzzling its soft fur with a sigh. She sat down on one of the bar stools that surrounded the kitchen island and hid the side of her face that once had the bruise in the kitten's fur.

Surprisingly, Edward didn't seem shocked that she was sitting right there. He kissed her hair. "Bella?" He asked when she didn't look up. He pealed the kitten from her arms and set it down on the floor. He cupped the back of her neck trying to get her to look up at him. She had her cheek buried in her shoulder behind a curtain of long mahogany hair.

He nudged her chin up. She didn't protest, knowing that he would see that the bruise was gone eventually. His eyes widened as he looked at her.

Her skin—the color of pearls—glowed iridescently. Her gentle brown eyes were a stark contrast to her porcelain skin. Her dark pink lips—chapped and close to bleeding—called to him. He brought both of his rough hands up to cup her cheeks before he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers gently.

She gasped and pulled away—turning her head away from him.

"Bella?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head; tears glistened in her eyes. He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered her name until she relented and looked up at him. He traced her lower lash line with the tip of his thumb; gathering her unshed tears so that they would never have to fall.

"Tell me what's wrong…" he begged.

"Why do you still want me?" She mumbled sadly and looked down at his wrist. A small pink oval shaped mark sat on his pale skin. He had burned himself with something.

"Bella?" He questioned. "Why _wouldn't_ I want you?"

She looked up at him with incredulous eyes. "My bruise is gone!" she almost yelled. She quieted her voice. "Now you can see the real me." Her brow furrowed as she reasoned ridiculously.

"But there's nothing wrong with the real you." He said. "The real you is on the inside…not the outside." His reasoning made more sense.

"But now you can _see_ the me on the inside…without the bruise you can see _everything_." She whispered the last word.

He smiled sadly. "Do you mean to say that you're an open book?" He questioned.

She nodded.

"You've always been an open book Bella…with or without the bruise. You're…_beautiful_ Bella." His heart clenched as he spoke. He wished with all of his might that he could show her just how much he loved her.

Then she would know. She would know that no matter what, she would be perfect…her imperfections made her perfect. They made her human. They made her beautiful.

"I'm not." She whispered.

"Beautiful?" He clarified; his voice was close to showing his anger at her insecurities. "Why aren't you?"

"_They_ said I was ugly." She spat.

"_They_ are wrong." He said.

She looked up at him finally. The anger in his bright eyes made her curl away from him in fear.

Though his eyes remained hard, his voice was soft. "Whose opinion matters most?" He questioned.

She bit her lip thoughtfully before speaking. "Yours?" Her answer came out as a question.

He smiled and shook his head at her. "No ones."

**OoO**

There was a vender outside the FBI building selling cotton candy to the pedestrians passing by. Edward bought a cone for Bella…and with her insistence he bought one for himself.

He didn't want to tell her, but he wasn't very fond of cotton candy.

Alice bounded into his office just as Bella was about to place a piece of the fluffy blue substance in her mouth. "No!" Alice screamed. She snatched the candy out of Bella's hands and threw it in the wastepaper basket. She grabbed Edward's coffee cup—it was full of stale coffee—and threw it over the cotton candy. She sighed in relief.

"Alice, what the hell…" Edward trailed off. Jasper was standing there as well, holding two cotton candy cones.

"Don't worry, I bought Bella one too." Jasper said as he stepped forward. Alice punched his chest. "Ow…Alice."

"I threw it away for a reason, guys." Alice explained. She turned around and pointed an accusing finger at Bella. "And you!" She yelled. "You know you're not allowed to have cotton candy."

Bella shrugged innocently.

"Why can't she have any?" Edward asked.

"Because she'll go crazy!" Alice motioned with her hands wildly. Edward and Jasper raised their eyebrows. "It's like giving someone with OCD a permanent marker, locking them in a room painted _blanco_ and fucking screaming, 'have fun ya crazies'."

Jasper placed a piece of candy in his mouth.

Bella stared at the fluffy substance. She licked at her lips slightly. "Can I have more?" She asked.

"What do mean 'can I have more'?" Alice demanded. "Did you already have some?"

Bella nodded, looking slightly guilty.

"_What?_" Alice screamed.

"She already ate hers. She was eating mine." Edward said.

"Oh god, no." Alice whimpered.

"Well, what happens?" Jasper asked as he inched towards Bella, who was still staring at the cotton candy.

"She gets _super_ hyper!" Alice yelled. "Do you _know_ what she's _like_ when she's…_hyper_?" Alice questioned them emphatically.

"No." Jasper and Edward responded together.

"She's like me!" Alice yelled. "There can't be _two_ of us! You want the universe to explode?" She questioned.

She paused, the only sounds in the room was her heavy breathing.

"Can I have more now?" Bella questioned.

"See what you've done!" Alice yelled. She placed her hands over Bella's ears so she won't hear. "You can't give her candy Edward. She'll eat so much she'll get sick." Alice whispered. "And you know what? Sick Bella is worse than Hyper Bella." She released her hold on Bella's head and spun around, strutting out Edward's office with Jasper following behind her like a lost puppy.

**OoO**

Rose was interrogating Felix again. Her voice meant nothing to him. She was a woman.

He stared at her lips as she talked, seeing them move and hearing nothing that came out. The bad feeling that Edward had had, came back full force.

Rose was taking Emmett's advice and not letting Felix's lack of interest rail on her. Felix's eyes drifted to the gun strapped to Emmett's belt. He was formulating a plan.

In his mind, he was seeing her screaming for her life as he raped her. Her blood would cover his hips and thighs and he would revel in seeing her lifeless blue eyes gazing back at him as he finished inside of her. Rose sighed, frustrated, and stood to leave. As Emmett walked past Felix, Felix grabbed his gun from its holster on Emmett's side. Emmett spun around only to find Felix with his arm around Rosalie's neck and the barrel of his gun pressed against her temple.

Before Emmett could say anything, Felix spoke. "I want a car." He licked his lips; his breathing was heavy. "I want it outside this building in 5 minutes…or I'll blow her fuckin' brains out."

Edward was standing in the doorway with his hand on his sidearm.

Felix pointed the gun at him. "It'll be very easy to break her neck." Felix taunted. Edward put his hands up in a surrendering manner.

"Just let her go." Emmett said as calmly as he could.

Felix's face turned red. "The car." He repeated. "Outside…in…_three_ minutes."

Edward turned to look at the guard who was standing beside him. "Go get a car." He said.

"Sir?" the guard whispered questioningly. Edward raised his eyebrows conspiratorially.

"A _car_." Edward repeated.

"Hey!" Felix yelled as he waved his gun around threateningly. "Not a Fed car…_your _car." Felix motioned to Edward. Felix laughed hysterically. "If you fuckin' bug it…the first thing _I'm_ gonna do is blow her brains out."

He tightened his grip and Rosalie cried out. "Just fucking do it already…" She screamed. "I'll be fine." She promised. Edward fished his car keys out of his pocket and handed it to the guard. The guard sprinted down the hallway.

"Two minutes." Felix warned as he moved closer to the door. Edward and Emmett backed out slowly. Felix turned his head slightly; seeing the elevator doors just feet away. The hallway was empty except for Edward and Emmett, who were advancing on Felix as he was retreating towards the elevator. Bella stood behind them; looking on with terrified eyes. Rosalie's eyes met hers and never strayed even when Felix's hand began to grope at her chest.

Emmett snarled. "Don't fucking hurt her." He said; stepping forward.

Even when Felix yelled at him to back off, Rosalie's eyes stayed glued to Bella's. "Edward." Bella whispered. She moved closer and grasped his arms tightly. "Edward, help her." She spoke louder.

"Bella…I can't." He whispered.

Tears filled her eyes as Felix pressed the button that called the elevator up.

"He's gonna get away." She pleaded.

"He won't." Emmett promised.

"Edward help her!" Bella screamed as she saw the lights that signaled where the elevator was grow closer to the floor they were on.

"Bella." Rosalie whispered through trembling lips. "It's okay sweetie." She continued. "Remember what I said?"

Bella nodded after a hesitation.

"Stay strong…can you do that for me?" Rosalie asked as the door's dinged open. Bella let out a sob and nodded. Rosalie smiled. "Good…I'll be right back sweetheart, okay?"

Bella clung to Edward's jacket and nodded again.

As soon as the door's closed, Emmett ran for the emergency stairway. "Find out where they are!" he yelled back at Edward.

Edward fished out his phone and shushed Bella softly. He dialed Emmett's number. "They're in the lobby."

"I'm not gonna make it!" Emmett grunted as he jumped down the stairs quickly. He burst through the doors on the lobby. Several startled officers drew their weapons as Emmett ran by and pushed through security. He ran onto the street to find the guard groaning on the ground. Edward's car was nowhere to be seen. Emmett helped the guard up. He had a broken nose and a cut on his forehead. "Did you see where they went?" Emmett asked.

The guard shook his head 'no'.

**OoO**

Emmett handed an ice pack to the wounded guard who pressed it against his forehead and winced. Alec was pacing. "How could you not have seen anything?" He accused the guard.

"He fucking bitch-slapped me with the receiver of the gun and took off!" The guard defended. "Fucking pussy doesn't know how to fight."

Emmett scoffed. Edward ran a hand through his hair. Bella continued to stare out the window with a sightless gaze. She was worrying them…all of them.

"Ay…sweat pea!" The guard called to Bella. She turned around. "She's gonna be a'right." The guard encouraged. "She decked me once ya know." The guard smiled. "Told me to stop bein' a wise-ass." The guard shook his head. "I'm Riley, by the way…I'm from Brooklyn, incase ya couldn't tell from da accent." He chuckled. Bella stared at him blankly. "That was a joke." Riley reiterated with a wave of his hand.

"Enough!" Alec silenced. "We have to find her."

"We already put out an APB on her and my car…we just have to wait for it Alec." Edward reasoned.

Alec sat down heavily on his office chair and put his head in his hands. "They have my daughter _and_ my granddaughter." He said.

Bella pressed her forehead against the glass on the window and closed her eyes.

Alec stood suddenly. "I can't stay here right now." He said. "You guys are free to go home." He spoke in a dead voice but looked at Edward and Emmett sternly. "But I when they find her…you guys better be the first ones on scene." With that, Alec grabbed his trench coat and fedora from the coat rack and walked out.

Riley watched him leave. "What the hell crawled up his ass?" He asked. "Rose has probably shoved the fuckers head through the windshield a'ready. She's probably hikin' it back home…gonna take a while with those shoes…did you see those thing? Their fuckin' ridiculous!"

Edward slammed the door behind him as they left Riley alone in Alec's office to rant to himself. "Are you gonna be alright Em?" Edward questioned.

Emmett nodded before stalking off with his head hung low. Bella still hadn't said anything. Edward pulled her into his office and sat her down on the couch. He crouched in front of her and traced her face with his fingers. "You hate me." Edward said sadly.

Bella shook her head and reached her arms around to hug him with a trembling chin. She held her cries in, only letting a few tears slip out. She wanted to be strong for Rose. The pain in her eyes, sinuses, and throat as she held in her sobs was nothing compared to the pain she felt in her chest.

She was afraid that what happened to her would happen to Rose. Rosalie was too good a person to be scarred so badly…she realized that the searing pain in her chest and the pain in her throat as a giant lump of distress and hate began to form was what Edward was constantly feeling.

He felt that she didn't deserve this…everything. She couldn't imagine experiencing that feeling every second of everyday for the past four and a half days.

"Would you like to visit Esme? I think it'll help." He said.

She nodded against his neck. He picked her up and made his way down to the FBI car lot. He signed out a GMC and drove in the direction of his parents' townhouse. He parked behind his mother's pickup truck and got out.

Bella had learned that he hated it when she would open her own door. _He_ wanted to do it. She thought that it was bordering on barbaric that he felt the need to be chivalrous. She thought that she was strong enough…she could get her own door…but then he would brood, and pout—which was ridiculously immature, even by her standards—so she let him be.

She still hadn't said a word yet. It worried him greatly. He fished his keys out of his pocket and opened the front door. Bella walked ahead of him—already knowing her way around the house, having spent countless weekends and holidays in it.

She crossed the living room and climbed the stairs upon hearing nothing from the adjoining rooms that would have signified someone else's presence. She walked down the hallway and opened Carlisle and Esme's bedroom door. She made her way to the bed and crawled in after kicking her shoes off. She got underneath the comforters and curled up to Esme's overheated body.

Esme was asleep—snoring lightly through her congested sinuses. She was slightly green looking and it disconcerted Bella. The tip of Esme's nose was red and chaffed and there was a pile of used tissues on the floor. Carlisle had thought that Esme was producing a ridiculous amount of mucus, so instead of using up all of the tissues, he gave her one of his old white t-shirts to blow her nose on.

Edward crawled in behind Bella; spooning her protectively. Bella closed her eyes and tried to pretend that it was just like before she was taken. Her parents had gone on vacation for their anniversary. Bella was sick so Esme would spend the night in her bed just like Renee would.

Bella felt the tears coming, but before they could escape, Esme's eyes flew open and she let out a small scream of surprise. Bella expected Esme to hug her and lay kisses all over her face.

Instead, Esme jumped up—swaying slightly as she stood—and yelled. "What the hell are you doing?" She asked. "I don't want you to get sick!" She pulled Carlisle's t-shirt from under her pillow and swatted Bella with it. "Crazy little girl." Esme yelled before pulling Bella up for a tight hug. She planted kisses on Bella's hair and fussed over it slightly. "Oh dear, my child, your hair is a rat's nest." She clicked her tongue at Bella, who merely smiled at her.

Esme knew what happened to her so she didn't mention it—merely acting as if Bella had just gone out to buy junk food for her slumber party with Alice.

"Mom, sit down." Edward said as he stood up.

"What?" Esme asked incredulously. "I have to make you guys something to eat!" She began to fuss again. "And I have to do _something_ about your hair." She referred to Bella as she made her way out the room.

Bella giggled and eagerly followed Esme.

Edward stared at the empty doorway with a pensive expression. The way everything just disappeared—the way Bella's misery, depression, and sadness seemed to just melt away…was strange. He didn't know if he should be relieved…or scared.

He didn't know if Bella was simply acting like the past years hadn't even happened, or if just being in Esme's presence made her fear disappear since Esme was like a mother to her.

He palmed his face and sighed before picking Bella's shoes up off the floor and carrying them down to the kitchen—where he assumed they'd be.

Sure enough, the sounds of pots and pans clanging around drew him towards the back of the house where the kitchen was.

Esme was digging around in the freezer, looking for something for Bella to eat. Bella was leaning against the kitchen island; her elbows resting comfortably just like when she would watch Esme cook all those years before.

He came up behind her and wound his arms gently around her stomach before whispering, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

She turned her head to look at him. "O-okay," she stuttered.

"Alone," Edward clarified as he pulled her body towards the archway leading into the living room. "We'll be right back mom," he said.

"Goddamnit! Where the hell's the Prego?" She yelled out.

Edward rolled his eyes and walked Bella to the music room just down the hall.

He sat down on the couch and pulled her to him so that she was standing right before him. He pressed his forehead against her stomach and breathed deeply; holding her by her hips.

Her hands hesitantly found their way into his hair. "Edward?" She called to him.

He shook his head against her and his hands tightened around her flesh. They were large and warm; calloused from years of hard work—as if he had built up his life with his bare hands. They made her feel soft and feminine—it was times like these that he made her feel as if what she did at Volterra for all of those other girls didn't taint her one bit…if anything, it made her even more pure.

He pressed his lips to where he knew Felix made scars on her flesh with a razor blade. She whimpered.

It was too much—all that had happened. Rose was gone—maybe even dead. Bella's body would always be scarred. Felix was free.

And Edward chose the perfect time to completely overwhelm her by doing one of the most intimate things he has ever done.

She fell into his lap—straddling his body as if she felt that he too would disappear. With straining muscles, he managed to maneuver her into a less awkward position, all while her arms were wrapped so tightly around his neck, he had trouble breathing.

"Bella," he called to her.

She cried into his neck as silently as she could. "I can't lose you too." Her voice was nothing more than a broken whisper.

"Bella…you are _never_ going to lose me."

"I've already lost so much…I-I can't handle never being able to do this again," she insisted as she caressed the hair at the nape of his neck. Her fingers quickly tangled in them as she pulled his head back.

He groaned loudly as she did so.

"I-I want to kiss you," she whispered against his lips. He stared into her tortured brown eyes. "Please kiss me back," she begged.

Without a word, he moved his palm to cup the back of her neck and pull her to him. He pressed his lips against hers lightly—just enough to ensure her that the electricity that flowed like static between them would always be there…_he_ would always be there.

She pulled away and pushed her face into his neck so that she could inhale his heavy scent. She immediately felt his calming effect. Her face—heated with her fallen tears—cooled. She stayed buried there until her eyes drifted closed and her breathing regulated.

She had fallen asleep.

With a heavy sigh, he pulled away from her and laid her gently on the couch after he stood. He quickly pulled the tube of Chapstick he had bought for her out of his pocket and lathered it onto her chapped lips. When he was done, he let his thumb drift across her bottom lip. It was softer and smoother.

He gave her a soft kiss on her forehead before going to find his mother.

She was humming away in the kitchen, fully aware that Bella just had an almost meltdown, but leaving it up to her son to fix it. He had to know what he was getting into by deciding to take care of her and heal her. He was in for years of subtle reminders of her time at Volterra that would make her cry and even squirm away from him as he tried to help her.

"Is she okay?" Esme asked as she stirred the tomato sauce in the pan that had chunks of cooked chicken already cut up in it.

"Yeah." Edward cleared his throat. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind it if we stay here for the night…I'm not sure she wants to leave you just yet." He smiled at her. She had stopped working to look up at him.

He was shocked to see that her eyes were glossy with tears. "You don't have to ask," Esme said before turning back to the sauce in the pan.

"I'm gonna call Alice," he announced. He turned and fished his cell phone out of his pocket, walking back to the music room as he quickly dialed Alice's number.

"Hey," she answered.

"Um, hey."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing…nothing," Edward muttered distractedly as he sat down on the bench in front of his piano. "I just…I'm at mom and dad's…Bella isn't ready to leave mom yet so…" He trailed off.

"I'll stop by your house and pick some things up for you guys," she suggested.

He laughed nervously. "Thanks."

"I'll stay at mom and dad's with you guys if you'd like," She said.

"Thanks Alice," Edward whispered as his fingers trailed lightly over the ivory keys of his grand piano. It was his pride and joy; his first every grand piano. The shiny black finished reflected everything in the room with seemingly chaotic elegance. The reflections were stretched and squished, squirming in anticipation for the wonderful music that could very easily hypnotize you.

They talked some more as Alice made her way to Edward's brownstone. Edward mentioned the kitten and Alice said that she would bring him along as well as some of _his_ belongings.

They eventually hung up. The scent of Esme's cooking had awakened Bella who laid staring at Edward. He was still sitting before his piano; hunched over and asleep. She rose from her place on the couch and walked over to him.

With a pang of sadness, she realized that she never cared for him…she never made him breakfast, or dinner. She never sang him to sleep like she used to do to her father. She never asked how _he_ was feeling. She hated to think that their relationship was one sided…that Edward would one day end up resenting her because he cared for her so much—loved her even—and she never once did anything for him selflessly.

She grasped his shoulders and shook him gently. "Edward," she whispered. She laid a gentle kiss on his temple.

His bright eyes flashed open in surprise. His eyelids were still heavy with sleep. "Hi," he mumbled.

She frowned and traced the purple bruises beneath his eyes. "You're still tired," she murmured. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. She pulled on his arm. "Come on," she whispered.

He stood up and followed her out the door and down the hall with lead weighted legs. Esme peeked through the archway between the kitchen and living room. Bella turned and gave her a look…another silent plea.

"His room is on the third floor," Esme supplied. Bella nodded gratefully and pulled Edward along. Once they reached the top of the stairs that led to the third floor Bella pushed the door open to reveal a large bedroom that took up the _entire_ third floor.

Bella shook her head at the ridiculousness of it all. _Never_ in all the times she had been there had she ever wondered what was on the third floor.

She set Edward down on the bed and dropped to her knees. Even through the hazy fog of his sleep deprived mind he asked, "Bella, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting you changed," she said.

He merely grunted in response and let her pull his large shoes off his feet. They were nearly twice the size of her own shoes. She tucked them neatly into a corner and removed his socks next. She undid his belt and pulled his jacket off before removing his tie and white dress shirt.

"Lean back." She urged him until his back was flat against the bed. She slipped his pants off and emptied their contents before folding them neatly along with the rest of his clothes. He was left in his white t-shirt and his boxers.

She realized that he had fallen asleep again so she woke him gently so she could move him beneath the covers. His burnt out body sank graciously into his golden sheets. She stripped off her dress and put on his dress shirt—it smelled like him. She wriggled into the bed besides him—sitting up straight so that she could take in her surroundings.

Being in this room was different. Edward's bedroom at his brownstone was orange and reds and browns and blacks—warm and inviting, _complete_. This room…it was soft gold and a large wooden bed carved gracefully and painted ebony. It was innocence…it was decorated at a time when Edward hadn't seen all that he had seen; when he hadn't been corrupted by the corruption he himself was trying to fight.

With every case that he had solved, he became more and more aware of the fact that there is very little good in the world. People would spend eternity scouring the earth for it and still miss it because it was so rare.

True goodness was difficult to find, but when Bella looked at Edward—his bronze hair flopping into his face, his dark lips in a pout, and his angular features soft in his relaxed sleep—she saw pure goodness.

She saw someone that was just so utterly and completely good in made her ache.

She continued to gaze around his room as she stroked his hair and hummed softly.

She was resolved—things between her and Edward were no longer going to be one sided. She was going to show him that she was _worth_ having a relationship with. She was going to prove to him that he could trust _her_. It wouldn't be the other way around.

There was an old upright in the corner of his room; the top was littered with used sheet music and a composition notebook speckled black and white.

There was a wastepaper basket right besides the upright. It was full of balled up pieces of paper and pencils that had been broken in half in frustration.

The rest of the room had shelves and shelves of CDs and books in no order, mingling with each other. The fact that the CDs weren't on one shelf and the books on the other made it seem so…_Edward_. Even though he tried to pretend—he was in no way, shape, or form, an organized person.

She sunk back into the sheets and pulled the pillow further beneath her head and neck. Edward greedily pulled her to his own body. Bella's body shook with silent chuckles. Even in his sleep, he was possessive. She didn't mind it. She _craved_ it. She didn't know why. All she knew was that when he would hold her tightly and glare at all the other men that would stare at her for whatever reason, she felt every primal urge he was feeling.

She felt his urgent need to possess, claim, mark…she felt his need to rip, tear, and destroy everyone else.

Alice often did the same thing. When they would be somewhere together, Bella would always attract the worst kind of attention. It was like all of the most sadistically depraved monsters gravitated to her. Alice would growl at them and pull Bella way, shielding her with her body.

Bella wrapped her arms around Edward's neck and sank into an easy sleep.

**A/N: I start school soon, so this will be the last update for about a week…maybe two weeks if things **_**really**_** suck ass. No complaints please, I need to focus.**

**I was nice and didn't leave you with a cliffy.**

**A few of you have been asking. A penile fracture is real…Google that shit. It's **_**nasty**_**.**

**Oh, I was thinking of putting up a new story. I wrote it…then I read it…I fucking creeped **_**myself**_** out. I'm debating whether or not I should put it up. I'm pretty sure you guys will like it…cause I'm just **_**that**_** awesome. **

**Review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Yup, I'm back. Forgive me for the wait.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Bella awoke a few hours later and snuggled close to the tiny body beside her. Her brow furrowed before her eyes flew open in surprise. Alice was sleeping between Bella and Edward. She had a satisfied smile on her face and her hands were clenched tightly around the comforter. It was pulled all the way up to her chin.

The kitten was asleep on her stomach. Bella smiled and looked closer at the kitten. Part of its tongue was peeking out of its mouth as it slept. Bella sighed and stretched her back. Looking at the clock, she noted that it was just after 8 pm.

Through the window, she could see the moon, firm and heavy in the sky. She sat up—using her fists to hold her body up. Edward stirred as well.

He threw an arm over Alice's waist. His brow furrowed in confusion as he smelled citrus and lemongrass instead of sugary vanilla and strawberries. One of his eyes opened into a narrowed slit as he peered at who it was beside him.

He groaned as he eyed Alice and sat up. He looked at Bella with only one eye. "Why are you all the way over there?" His voice was groggy.

She smiled at him and nodded at Alice. Edward nodded when he understood.

Bella placed a hand on her stomach upon feeling it move viciously. She looked up at Edward who was rubbing his eyes. He looked back at her. "Hungry?" he asked.

She nodded and began to stand. He did so as well. He pulled Bella to his chest and bent down to nuzzle her neck with his face. He sighed and placed a small kiss there before leading her out his door to the kitchen.

Esme was sitting at the kitchen island with an interior design magazine in her hands. Carlisle was bent over at the waist peering into the oven. He reached in and grabbed at the cookie tray that held the garlic bread. "Ouch! Shit!" He exclaimed.

"Use the mitt, dear," Esme explained as she turned the page with raised eyebrows. Esme looked up at Edward and Bella. She slammed the magazine shut and threw it carelessly onto the surface of the island. She looked pointedly at Edward. "It would do you well to stop hogging her," Esme said as she nodded over to Bella. Her threat was silent but serious.

Edward wrapped his arms around Bella; hugging her close and kissing the top of her head. She bent her head backwards to look up at him. He smiled and kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, and her cheek.

He didn't dare kiss her lips in front of his parents.

Esme rolled her eyes and stood. She opened one of the kitchen draws and pulled out the oven mitts inside. Carlisle was busy looking thoroughly lost until Esme handed the mitts to him. He took them with a grim expression. "Hey kids," he acknowledged before turning to the oven once more.

Bella and Edward muttered similar greetings and sat down at the kitchen table. Edward wanted to pull her into his lap but decided against it when his mother eyed him warily.

Esme was filling up plates of food and Carlisle had walked over to where Bella was seated. He was examining her face, to make sure it was healing correctly. Her skin was flawless. And she didn't seem to have suffered any permanent damage to her skull. Carlisle had noted when he first saw her, how bad the bruise was and how much force was put into it.

"How are you doing?" His voice was quiet but Esme paused and looked up at Bella before continuing to plate food.

Bella shrugged and looked down at the table.

Carlisle raised his eyebrows and looked to Edward for help. He reached for Bella's hand—which was distractedly drawing small circles on the surface—and held it in his warm palm. She looked up at him. Upon seeing the pleading look in his eyes she spoke.

"It still hurts…when I move a certain way…but other than that, I'm fine," she said.

Edward sighed in relief. He had wondered how she was doing and sometimes just observing her wasn't enough. He didn't know how to ask her without offending her or eliciting a negative reaction.

Carlisle nodded and backed away. Edward, however, continued to look at her with probing eyes.

There was a small whimpering sound followed by the slapping of tiny feet against hardwood floors and then kitchen tiles.

Alice stood there—wearing only one of Edward's large white t-shirts—holding a _very unhappy _kitten to her face. "You guys left me," she whined.

Edward shrugged. "Sorry," he said inconvincibly.

Alice narrowed her eyes at him before pressing her face into the kitten's fur at the back of its neck. She kissed the top of its head and sighed.

"Why are you holding Kitty like that?" Edward asked.

Alice pouted as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. She squirmed into Bella's chair and continued to sniff the kitten. "He smells like Bella," Alice stated with sad eyes.

_Silence_.

Everyone was quiet as they ate; not wanting to delve deeper into Alice's obvious dependence on Bella's presence.

When they were finished eating Bella, Edward, and Alice moved to the living room. Carlisle and Esme wished them a goodnight before retreating up to their bedroom. Esme was beginning to feel a little dizzy—especially with all the cold medication in her system.

The living room was dark—the only light coming from the TV. Edward sat between them and stroked their hair in comforting movements.

Edward had wanted to call Emmett and ask him how he was doing, but figured that he might want to be alone. Edward knew that Emmett had blamed himself for what happened to Rosalie. But the APB was still out there and the entire population of Seattle was looking for the brave young prosecutor who was fighting against disgusting people like Aro, Jacob, and Felix.

Alice groaned and slapped Edward's hand away. "You're making me sleepy," she grumbled.

Edward smiled. "Go to bed."

Alice huffed. "Fine," she complied. She stumbled up and planted a wet kiss on Bella's forehead before lazily making her way up the stairs.

Edward noticed the Bella was clenching and unclenching her toes as if her feet hurt. Her legs were folded up on the couch and she was resting her head on his chest. He reached over and began to rub her feet carefully.

Their bottoms were soft—not calloused like he had expected them to be the first time he held them after she had stubbed her toe. He realized then that Bella could have been in an even worse situation.

Even though what Bella had to go through was indescribably horrible and wholly unforgettable, she didn't get the worst of what was out there. In most of those so-called 'houses', women were dirty and unkempt. No one cared for their physical appearance in even the slightest.

The women would be kept there for years and years and years—with absolutely no hope of ever escaping.

Bella squirmed and whimpered against him.

He chuckled despite his earlier thoughts. "Why do you always freak out when I touch your feet?" He asked her with a smile in his voice.

Bella shrugged. "It's weird."

"Do you want me to stop?" His hand paused its movements.

"N-no," Bella protested.

"Then what?" he asked as his hand resumed its movements.

She shivered against him in disgust.

He stopped and pulled her onto his lap before yanking the knitted afghan off the back of the couch and draping it over her. "I know you're not cold," he whispered.

Bella sighed. "W-when I was _there_…I had to…_greet_ them." She swallowed thickly as his hand tightened around her. "I h-had to be on my knees in front of the door…I had to kiss…their feet." Tears were in her eyes. "If they were in a good mood, they'd laugh at me…if they were in a bad mood, they'd kick me. I don't know which one was worse."

She paused and cleared her throat.

He shushed her softly when her body began to shake. His hands were impossibly tight around her. She felt so safe. It was as if a giant weight was lifted off of her with each little bit of her past that she revealed to him.

He stroked her head. "I realize that I barely know you," he said thoughtfully.

She looked up at him. Her eyes were glassy and lost. He hated the forlornness in them, but he couldn't stand to look away from their reddish-brown depths. "What do you want to know?" her hands found his and she began to play with his fingers with transparent fascination.

"What's your favorite color?"

**OoO**

When she woke the next morning, the bed was empty. She panicked for a second before relaxing upon seeing Edward's car keys and wallet on the nightstand. She gasped and sat up as she saw what else was on the nightstand. There was a bouquet of wildflowers sitting in a crystal vase and next to it was none other than a copy of 'Wuthering Heights'. Her hand reached out to trail along the letters on the cover.

She threw the comforter from her body and grabbed the book. She cradled it in her hands as if it were her long lost child.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Bella?" A worried masculine voice asked. His hand trailed along her shoulder. His breath was fresh and his skin smelled of apples and sugar.

She looked up at him and held the book tightly in her hands. "When did you…" she trailed off.

He smiled nervously and plucked the book from her hands before setting it on the nightstand.

She whimpered and reached for it again but he caught her hands and held them to his lips. "I went out to get you more Iron pills. The others are at home…but I don't know…" He shrugged and his ears turned red. "I didn't feel right going back there without you?" His statement came out as a question.

She blinked away tears.

"The book was on one of the shelves at the convenience store…I just…picked it up."

Bella pried her hands from his and reached over to finger the leaves of the wildflowers. "What about these?" she asked softly.

She bit her lip and looked up at him. "You said you liked them…" He mumbled and shuffled his feet nervously. "…that they were your favorite."

She gasped softly and sniffled at his blatant unabashed love for her.

She wanted to tell him. The urge to do so had never been so strong before. The words were in her throat but she was afraid. She was afraid that he wouldn't think she meant it. She was afraid that he would think that she was afraid of _him_.

She wasn't…she never could be…there was only one way to prove that to him.

Gathering up everything she knew about Edward…all of his love and devotion to her, she found the courage to put herself completely at his mercy.

She slid off the bed and land on her knees in front of him. He looked at her with a frozen expression of curiosity and fear.

She bent down and placed a soft kiss on the tops of each of his feet. "Bella?" he gasped. He pulled her up from the floor quickly and smoothed back her hair.

"I love you," she whispered. She had the most frightened expression on face—one of fear of his rejection and one of fear of his acceptance.

He swallowed thickly and cupped her cheeks with both of his hands. "Bella?" He questioned again.

"Please say it back," she whimpered with tears in her eyes.

"I love you," he whispered in a heavy voice.

She sighed and reached for the back of his neck. He complied and leaned down to kiss her lips. But she turned her head last minute.

"Here," she said as she pointed to the spot right below her ear. His eyebrows puckered in confusion before he pressed his lips to her pulse spot.

Her whimper caused him to groan and close his eyes. He let his tongue drift out of his mouth and over her skin languidly. His teeth gently scraped her skin and she whimpered again. He began to pull back but she protested and pulled on his hair.

"More…" she begged in a thick voice.

"I'll leave a mark, Bella," he explained.

She looked at him through her lashes with dark eyes. "What if I _want_ you to leave one?" She asked him.

He swallowed thickly and looked back at her neck where already, it was turning a darker shade of pink.

"Why would you…" he trailed off.

"Because I'm yours…and if anyone else sees it, they'll know I'm yours…"

"Bella…"

"They won't touch me." She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"No one will _ever_ touch you, Bella," he promised fiercely. "_Especially_ not if I'm alive."

She frowned up at him. "I know," she whispered. "But I still need this."

He sighed at the pleading look in her eyes. He leaned over to pull her lips into his mouth. She let him kiss her softly for a few seconds before she became self-conscious. She pulled away and slapped a hand over her mouth.

He frowned and tugged on her wrist. "What?"

"Morning breath." Her explanation was muffled behind her fingers.

He smiled and pushed her hand away. "Do I look like I care?" He questioned before pressing his lips to hers. "The most wonderful woman in the world…loves me," he mumbled against her lips.

She smiled and gasped as his hands roamed up her back and fisted lightly in her hair. He tugged her head back lightly and placed lingering kisses along her jaw line.

Once he reached her pulse spot, he let out a long hot breath. His lips pressed more firmly against her skin and his tongue emerged. He sucked slow circles that quickly turned into violent desperate movements with his teeth clamping down and his hands trying to hold her close—moving her into different positions in his arms before he settled for bending her backwards and practically folding himself over her.

It started as a tingling feeling where his tongue was laving his attention. Then the tingling feeling was everywhere. She groaned and felt her eyes roll back into her head as she grasped the tops of his arms tightly. Everything exploded behind her closed eyelids as she came.

When she gasped and bowed forward he released her neck with a sharp wet sucking sound. His breathing was heavy but it was nothing compared to hers.

Her knees were shaking and she was holding all of her weight up with her hands. She pressed her forehead to his chest as she tried to regain her bearings.

"Did you just…" He trailed off when she nodded. "_Shit_," he whispered as he held her up.

She whimpered and looked down at her weak legs. She could see moisture dripping down her thighs from underneath his dress shirt. She gasped—embarrassed—and clamped her knees together.

He followed her line of sight out of curiosity. "I think I need to change my panties," she said shakily before looking back up at him with a rosy blush.

His brow furrowed as he kneeled before her. Her hands found their way to his shoulders so that she could hold herself up. His hands pried her knees apart and he stared wide eyed at the wetness dripping down her legs like a waterfall.

He looked up at her—his eyes were impossibly dark and her knees felt even weaker with that one look he gave her.

She whimpered when he licked his lips. Unconsciously he was leaning in towards her. She gasped when his tongue pressed flat against the inside of her lower thigh—where her knee met her shin. He licked upwards in short intense swipes—stopping to suck on her skin in near desperation.

He was groaning. Her taste was thick in her mouth. It made his throat ache for more. The strange burning fire in his throat made him ache to quench his thirst for her very essence. As he went up her thighs even further, he pushed his white dress shirt along until it was up at her hips.

He pressed his nose up against her yellow cotton underwear. It was completely soaked through as he inhaled deeply for a few seconds. His head was becoming dizzy with her thick scent. Luscious and heady, her scent had him throbbing in the confines of his flannel pajama pants.

He kissed the apex of her long legs with an open mouth. She gasped and her fingers dug almost painfully into his shoulders as a sharp sucking sound was heard coming from his mouth against her.

She struggled to hold back yet another orgasm. It was as if he was kissing her. His mouth was open and wanton—the only barrier was the soaking wet pair of yellow cotton panties.

His hands came around to cup her fleshy cheeks and her legs were over his shoulders. He stood slowly—keeping his face buried between her legs. Her back made contact with the bed and she tightened her grasp around his head with her thighs.

His hands drifted to the small of her back and he held her up. She arched her hips up to give him what he wanted—thoroughly confused by the desperation that had overtaken him. It was like he _needed_ her.

Her eyes rolled back into her head as she felt herself approaching the precipice. With a high pitched whimper—she came again. He growled against her as more of her juices soaked through her yellow cotton panties.

When her hands intertwined in his hair tightly—pulling and yearning for more—he froze and sat up quickly. He stared at her wide eyed with his hand pushed over his mouth. Through blurry unfocused eyes she caught his gaze. "W-what's wrong?" Her voice was suddenly small and insecure, the complete opposite of the deep moans that had echoed from her throat not seconds before.

"Shit," he whispered. He leaned forward and wrapped a hand around her lower back. He pulled her up into a sitting position. He gently palmed her once bruised cheek. "I didn't ask."

He was frowning. She was confused.

Then it clicked. Her eyes widened before she pressed her own hand over his. "Don't you trust me?" She asked. "I would have told you if I wanted you to stop."

His face was pensive, his jaw tight, and his lips pressed into a hard line. His eyes were stormy and uncertain. "I don't…" he sighed.

Her brow furrowed. "What?" She prodded.

"You would have told me?" Edward asked. Bella nodded. "You wouldn't have let me continue because _I_ wanted to."

Her throat constricted as she swallowed against the thick lump of disappointment that had formed. She sat back on her heels and looked down at her fingers. "I would have told you…you don't think I would have?"

He sighed and folded his legs Indian style before pulling her closer. She kneeled in front of him. "You're too…" He ran a hand through his hair roughly as he considered his next words. He pursed his lips as he thought. He finally spoke—resigned that there was no possible way for him to word what he wanted to say in a way that wouldn't offend Bella. "You care too much about others. You've been gone from the outside world for two years, Bella. _Two years_," he whispered in disbelief. "In those two years…fucking…_animals_," he growled, "taught you to do what _they _wanted…I don't fucking want that." He shook his head and reached for her hands but she pulled away.

She sat back and turned around before sliding off the bed. "Bella?" She ignored him and retreated towards the bedroom door.

As her fingers curled around the door knob, his heated body was pressed against hers. She gasped in surprise. "Turn around," he said. His voice was surprisingly angry.

But even more surprisingly—she wasn't afraid.

She turned slowly and looked up at him. "Don't walk away from this," he said as steadily as he could.

She clenched her jaw—putting up an iron front when behind the mask she was nothing more than a scared 17 year old girl. "I can and I will," she insisted.

"No." His voice was final yet shaky. "I love you and you love me—"

"I don't love you," she replied. She bit her tongue—willing herself not to back down.

His face crumpled in a mask of pain. He took in a ragged breath. "Fucking stop it," he whispered intensely. "I _know _that's not true."

Her eyes narrowed. "How would you know? You don't trust me. How could you believe me?" Her voice was quiet yet stern.

He growled and slammed his palm into the door. "Fucking take it back," he pleaded with a steady growl in his throat. She could see him failing—piece by piece he was falling apart all because she rescinded the one thing that had made him whole.

She swallowed thickly but stayed firm. "You can't make me do _anything_ I don't want to do."

His top lip curled back over his teeth in a silent snarl. "I can see that you want to say it, Bella. I can fucking _see _it. You want to as much as I want you to," he insisted. He took a deep breath. "Say. It."

She jutted her chin out. "When I said it, did you believe it?"

"Of course I did," he insisted.

"You believed me?" She questioned.

His eyes widened and he swallowed thickly before whispering, "Yes…I believed you."

"You believed me," Bella repeated with flashing eyes.

He looked at her curiously. "That was a test," he surmised. His chest was heaving slightly with the staccato breaths he took in. "That was a fucking test?" He growled out angrily through his clenched teeth. She looked up at him—through his vicious mask and his animalistic front, she could see relief.

"That was a test," Bella confirmed quietly.

**A/N: Uh oh…Bella's getting some of her fire back…**

**Please please please go read my new story and review…and fav…and stuff.**

**I love you all. I'll try to update sooner. Unless there is an emergency I won't make you wait over two weeks for the next update.**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: As some of you have probably realized, I did remove **_**Mockingbird**_**. I realize that I didn't really develop my characters as well as I would have liked. Sorry…but I will post it when it meets my level of satisfaction.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

"Rose!" Bella jumped up quickly as she gasped. Her chest was heaving with each breath. She had the feeling that she was falling…falling, falling, falling and nothing could stop it. There was nothing at the end. There _was_ no end. There was just…nothingness.

She felt Edward's body rise into the sitting position beside her. His hands ran smoothly over her shoulders until they were wrapped around her. "Bella?"

She shook her head and clenched her eyes shut.

"What's wrong?" He glanced quickly at the alarm clock. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning. He rubbed his eyes as he thought for a minute. Rosalie had been missing for almost thirty three hours. He realized that Bella must have had a nightmare.

He pressed his lips gently to her shoulder.

"We're going to find her," he promised quietly.

She sighed as his fingers drifted across her stomach in soothing circles. The kitten moaned softly from its place by the foot of the bed. As if sensing Bella's fear, he rose—stretching before making his way towards Bella. He nuzzled Bella's stomach and curled into a ball on her lap.

Edward's hand drifted downwards and he stroked the kitten's head. He carefully picked him up once he was sure he was asleep and placed him at the foot of the bed once more. He tugged Bella backwards until she was lying on her back. Her body was shaking with grief and guilt as she began to imagine all of the horrible scenarios Rose could be going through.

He shushed her softly and pushed his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp until her eyelids were heavy with exhaustion. She curled into his side and pressed her forehead into his neck.

He sighed and let his eyelids close. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she said just as softly. He smiled against her hair despite his exhaustion. If the world had been a perfect place, they would have spoken those words after having dated for two months. They would have the opportunity to get married and pursue their dreams without anything holding them back.

But the world wasn't perfect. Instead, they had said those words in passionate desperation. The need for human contact and adoration and the need to be loved had taken over their hearts and pleaded with them to just _feel_.

He sighed and let himself drift off.

**OoO**

Something was ringing—insistent and high pitched in his ear. He groaned and stretched his arm out to the nightstand where his cell phone was. "Hello?"

"Agent Cullen?" A gruff male voice asked.

Edward sat up. "Yes?"

"This is the Washington State Park Patrol. We found your car in a ravine near the south entrance of the park. We are currently attempting to pull it up. It seems like it skidded off the road. The APB specified you as the one of the leading agents on this case. I have already made contact with your partner and he is on his way."

"Thank you," Edward said. He hung up and threw the sheet off his body. Bella whimpered and stirred as she felt his warmth disappear as he stood. He shushed her and wiped at her forehead.

"Where are you going?" She asked as she blinked tiredly.

"They found my car," he informed her.

She sat up immediately. "Really?" Her voice was hopeful.

He frowned. "We still don't know anything about Rose," he said, trying to quell her hopes, not wanting her to be disappointed.

She frowned as well and looked at him with watery eyes. "I want to come with you," she stated.

Soon enough, after informing his parents and Alice of where they were going, they drove away from the house towards Bainbridge Isle.

She was wearing jeans. It was the first time he had ever seen her in jeans. They were skin tight—emphasizing the healthy curve of her hips. She was wearing a tight fuzzy white sweater and one of his hoodies over it. Even though the bulky hoodie covered most of her body, he could still see her tiny waist and large breasts.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. He didn't know why, but seeing her in those tight clothing really made him see how small she was. Alice was small, but her lack of curves suited her elfin body. But with Bella, she was tiny and curvy too, and it made her seem all the more fragile for some reason.

He would see from the corner of his eye that she was holding his hoodie to her nose—sniffing it unabashedly. Every so often she would peek up at him and look away blushing when he caught her.

Again, he could see that she was giddy and nervous, as if she knew something that he didn't.

He sighed and pulled into the parking lot at the Seattle-Bainbridge Ferry. He quickly exited and opened her door before leading her to the fare booth. He bought two fares to the Island and called Emmett.

His voice was hopeful and less dejected. He informed Edward that the Park Patrol were still in the process of pulling his car up from the ravine. Emmett was waiting for them on the other side of the Sound.

Whiles Edward was making the phone call, Bella had pulled him to the railings at the side of the ferry so that she could look at the water. She had zipped up her hoodie and pulled the hood over her head as the air began to mist slightly with the promise of heavy rain.

When he ended his call he looked at Bella and gasped before pulling her away from the rails. She probably hadn't realized it but she was leaning closer and closer to the thundering water. He pressed his body against hers and pushed her against the railings once again, this time holding her still as she looked at the water below her.

Once they reached the island and de-boarded the ferry, they met Emmett in the parking lot. He removed his leather jacket and put it over Bella's shoulders as he ran her to the car. It was pouring rain. Heavy drops splattered against the windshield like ice. Edward's own jacket was soaked through and so was Bella's hoodie. Once in the car, they removed them and Emmett—having thought ahead—handed them each polyester FBI jackets with hoods.

Once they arrived on the scene, the sky had darkened and it seemed like it was nighttime instead of six o'clock in the morning.

Alec was pacing about and yelling over the rain at one of the park patrolmen.

When they exited the car—Edward went as far as to put a clear plastic raincoat over the polyester FBI jacket. She sighed and raised her arms so that he could slip it over her head. There was a small white tent set up near an ambulance that was waiting just in case one of the workers fell.

Edward led Bella into the small tent. Men were sitting about in orange and yellow construction gear, covered in mud and slick with rain.

They had to slide down the muddy hill in order to hook Edward's car up to the cable that would hoist it back up to the road.

The scent of coffee lingered in the air. Edward took the opportunity to go through some of the FBI equipment bags. He pulled out a navy blue toque with the FBI insignia across the front of it. He quickly pulled it over Bella's head. She grumbled to herself and stood still as he situated the toque on top of her head. Then he reached into the bag and pulled out an FBI baseball cap. He put that over the toque on her head and pulled the hood of the polyester jacket up over her head. He also pulled the hood up on the clear plastic raincoat so that it was over her head as well.

She pressed her lips into a hard line and narrowed her eyes at him. "Edward?" she called as he began to look through the equipment bag for a scarf.

He looked up at her—distracted. "Yeah?"

"It's…_June_, Edward," she said.

He looked at her pensively. "I don't want you to get sick."

"I know that but…I kind of need air too," she replied with a small smile.

**OoO**

Once the men outside began to yell about Edward's car, they made their way outside to see the tow truck pull the car over the edge of cliff face and onto the road.

"Wha'do we got?" Emmett questioned.

One of the CSI's on scene peered into the driver's side. It was empty. Looking down at the gas and break pedal's he noted that there was a mechanism set up that would have propelled the car down the road and out of control without the need for a driver.

"This guy's pretty smart," the CSI commented after he told Alec, Emmett, and Edward what had happened.

Emmett paused. "What _is _that?" He questioned.

"What?" Alec asked.

"Everyone be quiet!" Emmett yelled out.

_Thump thump thump_

Edward looked up at Emmett—eyes wide. "Pop the trunk!" he yelled.

One of the park patrol men came forward with a crow bar and began to wretch the trunk open. He growled and backed away when it didn't budge. He passed the crow bar to Emmett.

With one press down on the crow bar with all of his body weight, the trunk popped open easily. He quickly swung the hood up.

Rose was inside. Her bloody hands were up in front of her face as if she was expecting someone to hit her. Her entire body was shaking.

Emmett set his jaw and reached in. He held her up and pressed her against his chest as his hands worked to peel the duct tape from her lips. He shushed her when her body began to shake even more with sobs. He was whispering in her ear—telling her about his happy place, a place where no one would or _could_ hurt him. He was telling her that it was her happy place too.

No one would ever hurt her again.

Edward was at work cutting the tape wrapped around her feet. Her lips were chapped and bleeding when the tape was finally off. Once her hands and feet were free, she sighed in relief and took comfort in Emmett's massive chest. She closed her eyes and let him lift her up and onto the waiting gurney.

Alec climbed into the back of the ambulance with Rose. The EMT's drove away towards the nearest hospital.

Bella tugged on Edward's arm. "I wanna go with her," she said with watery eyes.

Edward agreed.

After making sure his car would be towed to the FBI headquarters for further processing, he climbed into the car and drove a distraught Bella and a livid Emmett to the hospital. They sat in the waiting room for a few hours.

Alec came out. "They're doing a rape kit," he said softly. He sat down across from Bella and held his head in his hands. Emmett—who had been pacing around the room like a caged animal—paused. His head snapped up when he heard him speak.

Bella's breathing increased. "Was she bleeding?" She asked. "Did he cut her?" Her voice was low. Edward heard something strange in it—protectiveness.

Alec shook his head no—looking slightly more relieved as he realized that Felix didn't cut his daughter to shreds. "15 years ago…I had prayed…that I would never have to go through this again," he said softly.

"She was only 14…when that…_animal_…did what he did to her," he continued. Emmett stood still as a statue as he looked out at the parking lot. It was pouring rain. Thunder and lightning crashed all around.

"My granddaughter, Jane…was the product of Rosalie's rape," he said. "She doesn't even know…" he chuckled humorlessly. Emmett clenched his fist and leaned his forehead against the window. Edward set his jaw and pulled Bella onto his lap. He placed a large hand over her stomach and kissed her shoulder.

He sighed and leaned his head against her back. He didn't want to hear Rose's story. He didn't want to hear of yet _another _woman suffering the hardship of being sexually assaulted…but he listened to the broken old man in front of him with one too many wrinkles and one too many gray hairs.

He listened because he knew that every woman deserved to have their story told—every woman deserves the support that would come from people knowing what had happened to them.

"I thought…I _had_ thought that Rose would abort…she didn't. I also thought that she would give Jane up for adoption…she didn't." Alec sighed.

"I thought that…Rose would eventually hate having Jane around—a constant reminder of what had happened. Rose didn't think of Jane as a…as a _scar_. A badge of honor…" Alec rambled. "She survived…" he paused and wiped his eyes. "I don't know how she'll survive this time."

**OoO**

They were finally allowed to see Rose at around noon that day. Bella entered the room first with hesitance. Rosalie was sitting up in her hospital bed.

Her hands were bandaged and she had stitches on her forehead and shin. Cuts and small bruises littered the rest of her body that was visible. She had a small sheet over her legs. But her feet were left uncovered—they were wrapped in bandages as well.

Her hand twitched by her side. She wanted to raise it in a silent beckon for Bella to come closer, but Felix had pulled her along by her arms twisted into a strange position. Her muscles were too sore.

"Come here," she said finally. Her voice was nothing by a hoarse whisper. Bella frowned and made her way to the bed. Rosalie shifted a little so that there was room for Bella to crawl into the bed beside her.

Bella slipped her shoes off and looked to Edward for help getting onto the bed. She knew that if she were to lift her leg up—she might reopen the wound between her legs.

Edward quickly tucked his hands under Bella's legs and around her shoulders and placed her on the bed. Rosalie tugged the sheet so it was over Bella's legs too. Because Bella was so much smaller than Rosalie, her legs easily fit beneath the sheet.

Bella leaned back and let Rosalie rest her head on her shoulder. Edward's hand smoothed Rosalie's hair back. "Stupid question time," he said with a tentative smile.

She snorted but smiled. It fell as her gaze drifted to Emmett, who was still standing in the doorway with an emotionless mask on his face. "Are you okay?" Bella whispered as she tugged on Rosalie's bandages.

"I'll be fine Bella," she promised thickly.

Bella smiled the same sad smile that Edward would smile whenever he would whisper that one little word. "Liar."

**A/N: Sorry about the shortness. I just really want to post it…now…**

**Review please!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I'm dedicating this chapter to PattinsonsDiscoStickIsMine. You are awesome and brave and…wow. Thank you for sharing something so personal with me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

She woke when someone began to shift her. She groaned in annoyance as soft male hands pulled her away from the sleeping body beside her. She breathed deeply in an effort to return her body to her slumber.

The scents of cinnamon and spices traveled up her nose. Her eyes fluttered open as the man lifted her into his arms. She looked at where she just lay, next to a sleeping Rosalie. Instead of being sleek and straight like all the times Bella had always seen in, Rosalie's hair was a tangled mess of curly golden hair.

Rosalie's lips twitched as she felt the empty space beside her. When Bella slept so close to her, it reminded her so much of all the times Jane had crawled into her bed to comfort her as she cried. Jane didn't even know what Rosalie was crying about. She never asked, knowing it was something incredibly painful for her mother to even think about.

Bella squirmed about and pushed her fists against the lanky man holding her. She heard a soft grunt as she punched him especially hard. "Bella!" Jasper whisper-yelled.

She froze as she realized that it was Jasper holding her. She blushed red in apology. "Sorry," she said in embarrassment. She had thought she had gotten over her fear of being awaken from her sleep by male hands.

She looked around the room, realizing that it was dark outside. The nighttime sounds were drowned out by the sounds of the hospital outside the room, still wide awake and beeping with machines.

He sat down on the couch opposite the bed and laid her across his lap. "Where's Edward?" Bella questioned worriedly.

"Uh…He went back to headquarters with Alec and Emmett to analyze the car and look for any clues that tell us where Volturi went."

Bella frowned. "Why didn't he wake me?"

Jasper's chest shook with chuckles. "You looked so cute sleepin' darlin'…I wouldn't let 'im wake ya."

"Oh," she said as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Where's Alice?" Bella asked, almost expecting her to be at home.

"She's down at the cafeteria lookin' for coffee," Jasper said.

"How does Alice know Rose?" Bella asked.

Jasper smiled down at Bella. "_Everyone_ knows Rosalie Masen, Bella."

Bella's brows furrowed.

"She's always in everyone's business," Jasper explained without animosity. "She was a bit nosey." Jasper smiled again. "Alice was _always_ with Edward…I always wanted to talk to 'er…but…I never got the courage to. Rose was always raggin' on me for bein' a…pansy…though she didn't exactly use that word."

She looked up at him. He was frowning. From her position on his lap and from the moonlight pouring in from the windows she could see every contour of his face. She had never noticed before but his entire face was _covered_ in small scars, as if something made of glass or hot metal had exploded in his face.

"But you're together now," Bella said as her hand reached up to trace his chin.

He looked down at her—almost stunned by her optimism. Rosalie had always been a very bitter person. It was understandable because of all of the hardships she had to endure. But Bella had been through enough pain to cover an infinite number of lifetimes, and yet she still had the _hope_ to look forward instead of back.

He realized that she was staring at his face with a puzzled expression as her fingers curiously traces one of the deeper impressions. "I fell," he said. It wasn't _entirely_ a lie. She looked at him with knowing eyes.

"It almost seems as if everyone who works with the FBI is broken in some way," she observed.

He grinned. "We either joined the FBI because we're broken…or the FBI broke us," he said with sardonic amusement.

She looked at him quizzically but he merely shook his head, not willing to clarify his statement. She looked back at Rosalie and then back at Jasper. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"I knew Rosalie too," Jasper said. She raised her eyebrows. "She was a real pain in the ass," he drawled out.

A small smile tilted her lips upward. Jasper pressed his fingers against the creases formed by her lips' upturn. "You should do that more often," he murmured.

She looked away, blushing.

Jasper looked at Rosalie's sleeping form and flicked his head to the side to move his hair out of his face. "She was a bit of a perfectionist," he continued. "The day of every major court appearance, she would ream me to make sure all the evidence I analyzed had been done to exact procedure, that no one could have _possibly_ tampered with the evidence, that nothing was mis-analyzed." He sighed.

"What would you tell her?" Bella asked, knowing that Jasper would've had a smart ass comment.

"I'd tell her that the machines don't lie and to get the hell outta my lab before I sprayed 'er with something that made her grow a third nipple." He grinned down at Bella, who had her hand over her mouth to hide her smile.

"That's horrible, Jasper," she tried to chastise him.

He shrugged and looked forward at Rosalie. The door opened slightly and Alice squeezed her way in. She had coffee in hand.

She sat down besides Bella and stroked her hair. "Sleep," she whispered.

Bella easily complied.

**OoO**

Edward held Bella's hand as they entered the FBI building back in Seattle. It was early Monday morning. There was a light fog hovering over the city and the damp air reminded Bella too much of her room at Volterra.

She held tight to Edward's hand as they walked through the office building. Once they were in his own office, he settled down to continue typing up his analysis of their findings the previous night in the car.

It was definitely clear that Felix Volturi wasn't just some piece of scum that scoured the country looking for potential girls to work at Volterra. He was a college educated man who had a doctorate in forensic science.

He knew _exactly_ how to cover his tracks. But Edward was smarter…that much was clear.

Edward's car had been littered with Felix's fingerprints. They were all over the mechanism that drove the car into the ravine and all over the tape that bound Rosalie's hands and feet. But it was as if Felix didn't care and he was taunting the FBI by leaving all traces of himself in the car.

The trunk had smelled like the inside of a latrine and upon the unfortunate technicians observation, Emmett exploded and asked if it would smell any different if _he_ was trapped in the trunk for over thirty six hours.

He flinched when he felt a rubber band hit his cheek. Placing a hand on the stinging area, he looked to where Bella was innocently fiddling with her fingers. When she finally looked up at him, he raised an eyebrow.

She frowned. "I'm bored," she whined softly.

He stood and walked over to where she was sitting on the couch. He picked her up easily and set her on his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he apologized. He pressed his lips to her forehead.

She groaned in annoyance. "Why can't we just go far away forever?" she mumbled.

She had closed her eyes in preparation for a reprimanding slap. When his hand pressed against her cheek softly, she gasped. Her eyes flashed open and filled with angry tears. She buried her face in his chest.

"I keep thinking you'll hit me," she muttered as her fingers dug into his shirt.

"I won't," he reassured. He smoothed her hair back.

"_I_ know that…but it's like my body doesn't," she sighed, defeated.

"Bella," he called. She looked back at him. Her eyes were red rimmed and the tip of her nose was pink. "The fact that you're _here_…on my lap…in my arms…that's a miracle in itself." He sighed. "It'll take time…and I'll be with you every step of the way," he said as he stroked her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered shut in comfort. As his strokes got softer and softer, more languid and worshiping, she felt his love radiating off of him in deep _yearning_ waves.

He wanted her _badly_. He wanted all of her. He wanted her trust and her heart and her undying love. He wanted to know what she was thinking. He wanted to be able to have silent conversations with her like she would have with Alice. He wanted _everything_ with her and he had no idea how to express that.

**OoO**

"Please tell me you found something," Alec said as he rubbed his eyes from beneath his glasses.

He looked at Edward who was fiddling with one of the many knick-knacks that crammed the bookshelves. Edward looked back at him.

He grimaced as he spoke. "We literally have _nothing_ at _all_," Edward said. Emmett nodded from his place on the reclining couch in consent.

"What's your profile?" Alec asked Emmett.

Emmett groaned as he sat up. "Felix Volturi is a smart man and unfortunately for us, he knows that. Unfortunately for _himself_, he over estimates himself. He's got a narcissistic personality disorder."

Alec intertwined his fingers and puffed his cheeks out. He raised his bushy grey eyebrows and turned his muddy brown eyes to look at Emmett. "Let's _pretend_ that I don't know what that means," he said sheepishly.

"It means that he's got a huge ego and an inflated sense of self-importance. His need for admiration will cause him to make _some _kind of mistake. Aro banished him from Volterra and now it is basically Felix's _goal_ to make Aro see how important he is...how _superior _he is. He lacks empathy and is _extremely_ self-involved. In his mind, he is a confident, self-assured, _stable_ man when in reality, he's an arrogant asshole." Emmett finished with a small clap.

Aro nodded. "What do we do now?" he asked.

Emmett sighed and slumped back into his chair. "We wait."

**OoO**

Bella shivered as she watched the scene fold out in front of her from her place in one of the FBI's SUVs.

Edward was hovering over a girl's dead body. He clenched his eyes shut to hold back his rage before he stared into the dead girl's murky brown eyes—frozen open with fear. Her mouth was still open with a silent scream from the afterlife.

Her freckled cheeks, once rosy with adolescence, had faded to a pasty white color—her heart having stopped beating hours before. There was a bloody message carved into her forehead that read 'dirty whore'. The girl couldn't have been more than 16 years old. She still had a lingering softness in the curves of her face that signified uncorrupt innocence—_youth_.

Edward sighed and pulled the white sheet up over her head. He said a silent prayer in hopes that her soul would be safe in heaven. He swallowed back a lump in his throat as he stood. Emmett pushed off the side of the coroner's van and made his way to Edward.

"What do we know?" Emmett said in an effort to consolidate all of their information so that they were on the same page.

"The fucker's taunting us," Edward said as he pulled the light blue latex gloves off his hands with a snap. He asked the coroner for some hand sanitizer—wondering—bitterly—if Bella had some kind of adverse fear of that as well. He lathered up his hands, hoping to hide the scent of the latex gloves, knowing that it bothered her.

He knew why…It was because condoms were made of latex and they had the same scent as latex gloves. Edward groaned and wiped his face with his hands—wincing as the sterile scent of hand sanitizer hit his nose with a low burn.

He was tired. He was tired of sick disgusting people like Felix. He was tired of the case and the endless deaths of hundreds of poor girls who met Felix and Aro.

He looked at the coroner. "Cause of death?" he asked.

The examiner made a noise of distaste in his throat. "Hemorrhaging," he had concluded.

Edward looked back at the body of the young girl. Blood had begun to soak through the sheet where her crotch would be.

"Her vaginal area was mutilated with what appears to be a razor blade," the coroner continued. "There is some additional tearing not conducive with any type of sharp object I know of." The man looked puzzled.

"He raped her," Emmett said.

The coroner's eyes widened. He nodded and made a note of that on his report. "She had been sodomized as well," he continued. His voice becoming quieter and quieter.

"Thank you…Hunter," Emmett finished as he peered at the name threaded in shiny blue thread onto the chest of the navy blue overalls he was wearing.

The coroner smiled lightly. "James," he corrected. His voice had a slight English accent that made him seem almost superior to them. However, his countenance was demure and quite shy.

He reminded Edward a bit of Jasper. He wondered if he should introduce Bella to him. The more kind men she came into contact with, the quicker she would learn to trust and not be afraid.

He pushed the thought aside for later.

"Anything else?" Emmett asked.

James rubbed the back of his neck. "She was raped and killed here," James surmised as he eyed the enormous amounts of blood that spread across the dank alleyway.

Edward nodded and said his thanks before making his way over to the officer's who got there first. "Who called it in?" Edward asked.

The officer shrugged. "It was anonymous," he said. "We'll send the recording over to headquarters later," he finished before responding to a call on his radio.

Before long, the girl was in the coroner's van and on her way to the morgue and the crime scene was taped up for further examination.

Edward slid into the SUV, suddenly regretting bringing Bella with him. He looked over at her cautiously.

Her face was blank as she stared forward. She didn't blink, she didn't move a muscle, and she barely even registered it as he pulled away from the scene.

He reached over and threaded his fingers through hers. His electrical touch didn't even faze her. he couldn't have hated himself more than he did in that moment.

He pulled into his driveway and got out of the car. He made his way to Bella's side and helped her out. She stared at his house. Just a week before she was walking up the same driveway, up the same porch, thinking that she would never see the light of day again; thinking that never again would she feel the sunlight on her skin or the grass between her toes.

It was all so different now. Now, she was walking up those steps as if it were her own home. Edward had let her into his life with open arms despite the dire consequences he would have to endure if anyone ever found out the real reason he _bought_ her.

He took her because of a hunch…a gut feeling…nothing based on fact. That alone could make him lose his job.

He led her up to their bedroom. She was still in her disturbing daze.

She was immediately pulled from it when she felt his lips trailing along her face. Her eyes drifted shut in pain when he whispered, "I'm sorry."

He said it over and over again until she was naked before him except for her panties and her bra. He shrugged out of his jacket and quickly untucked his dress shirt from his pants. He unbuttoned it and placed it over her shoulders before fastening each of the small white buttons in place.

In her mind she begged him to stop apologizing for taking her to the crime scene. She had to know. The entire reason Edward became absolutely bent on getting Aro was because of her. She wanted to be there with him every step of the way.

She knew that he would forever be scarred by this case. The images of all the bloodied bodies of young girls would be in his mind forever.

She knew that she had a calming effect on him. She wondered if he was going to have nightmares.

She could hardly imagine his large frame shaking with fear because of a mere nightmare.

But as she thought about it, she realized that she always pictured Edward as a god with a halo of goodness around him. He was in fact only a human being, with the extraordinary ability to love, protect, and heal.

He was nothing short of a saint. He was her savior and it was extraordinary that right at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to wrap herself around him in every way possible.

She felt him push her down on the bed before his body followed as well. He curled himself over her as if he was trying to protect her from the outside world—so that it was just them and the crackling air between their heated bodies. His hands glided over her shoulders and her hips as if he was making sure that she was still there beside him, still warm from her beating heart.

What Felix had done was utterly repulsive but what had Edward even more on edge was the fact that the girl looked like she could be Bella's sister. Edward could tell that Emmett had noticed as well, however, he didn't say anything, for the sake of Edward's sanity. Even James, the coroner, had kept throwing Bella concerned glances.

They looked too much alike—Bella and the victim. They both had brown hair, and eyes, as well as pale skin. Even though the girl was a bit taller and had a little more weight than Bella did, it was clear to everyone on the scene that Felix was actively living out his fantasies of mutilating and raping Bella through women with similar features.

It would only be a matter of time before another body would show up. It would only be a matter of time before that other body was Bella's.

He wrapped his arms around her waist tightly as his thoughts drifted into dangerous territory. He kept on reminding himself that it was unhealthy to think about 'what ifs'.

She sensed his distress and pushed her hands through her hair to get him to lessen his grip on her. He did, slowly and reluctantly, until he was hovering above her with so much love in his eyes, she was at lost for words.

Before she could stop herself, she spoke. Her words were strong and sure with no hesitance.

"Make love to me, Edward."

**A/N: Sorry about the wait. I wanted to update all of my stories that same time and I kept getting stuck. *shrugs* oh wells…**

**Tell me what you think.**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Um…pics of Bella's outfits and the kitten are on my profile page. Just follow the link to my Photobucket profile page ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

"Bella?"

"Make love to me, Edward," she repeated, cupping his face in her hands.

"I…" His face colored with fear. "I can't hurt you, Bella," he pleaded.

"You won't," she insisted.

"Are you still in pain?"

She shook her head 'no', vehemently.

He groaned softly. "I could just touch you, if that's what you need," he suggested.

Her brow furrowed. She pulled him closer and whispered against his lips, "I need _you_, Edward."

His breathing increased and his eyelids drooped slightly. "How do you need me?" he asked.

She blushed red. "I need you inside me," she whispered.

"Bella," he whispered as his hands drifted into her hair. "I can't hurt you," he whispered again. He feathered kisses down her neck. "I can't hurt you." He tightened his grip of her hair—pulling her head back gently to give him better access to her skin. "I can't."

She moaned softly, her hands coming up to his hair. She pulled it gently. The way his body automatically pressed into hers told her that he really liked it, so she pulled harder. He groaned as his kisses grew more intense – his tongue getting involved with slow languid movements.

"Edward," she whispered.

He stopped his movements and looked up at her. "You _have_ to tell me if you need me to stop," he urged.

She nodded quickly and arched into him, urging him on. He unbuttoned his white dress shirt with shaking fingers. His breathing grew more and more labored when each inch of pale skin was revealed to him. She slipped her arms out of the shirt and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled him down to kiss her.

He paused and held her body to his. His tongue drifted over her lips. She answered by opening her mouth. He captured her exhaled breath in his mouth and pressed his lips firmly against hers. He stroked the inside of her mouth with gentle, unrushed movements.

Her grip on his hair tightened as she pulled him closer, willing him to let go of all of his inhibitions. She just wanted _him_.

He stopped and pushed her up the bed before flipping them over so that she was on top of him. He sat with his back against the headboard as he stared into her blissfully dazed eyes. "You're in control," he said, his voice rough and his eyes wanton.

She nodded and pressed into him once more. Her lips were eager and near savage against his. Her fingers drifted down his stomach. She could feel the muscles of his abdomen twitching beneath her fingertips.

She had no idea she could affect him so. He was shuddering beneath her—trembling almost. His grip on the bed sheets beside him had his knuckles straining and stark white. She pulled at the hem of his shirt, tugging it upwards. She leaned backwards to look at him.

She had never seen him shirtless before. She tore the shirt off of him quickly and gaped at his chest. His muscles were well defined and scorching hot beneath her hands. She could feel his thundering heart beat.

Looking up at him she saw his eyes were pitch black and hooded.

She leaned back to admire him. She had no idea that she aroused him so much. His breath quickened when her hands drifted down.

He could see the nervousness in her eyes. The fact that she was coy and demure as her hands tucked at the waistband of his boxer's made all the blood in his body rush to his groin.

She could see him growing large and hard beneath his boxers. She crawled off of him and sat with her hands on her lap. "Can you take them off?" she asked in a whisper.

He groaned as he tugged on his boxers. He pulled them off quickly and tossed them onto the floor before looking back at her.

The entire time, she had kept her eyes trained on his face. He held a hand out to her. She took it and crawled closer to him. He settled her on his lap. "Don't be afraid," he urged.

She took a deep breath and looked down at him. She gulped audibly. "You want that inside me?" she said without thinking. Her voice was nothing more than a nervous squeak.

He chuckled nervously. "_You_ wanted it inside you, too, Bella," he reminded her.

She stared at him hard. He was uncircumcised. His foreskin was stretched tight around his swollen member. The head was leaking what she knew was pre-cum. She knew that if she were to wrap her hand around him there would be _at least_ two inches of space between her fingers.

Her mouth was still gaping when she felt his hand on her cheek – pushing her jaw shut. He chuckled. "You're making me nervous."

Her skin flushed red as her gaze drifted up to his eyes once more. "Will it hurt?" she asked.

His eyes flashed. He pressed both of his palms to her cheeks. "Never think making love hurts Bella."

"What's it like?" she whispered.

He pressed his lips into a thin line. "I wouldn't know."

Her brow furrowed. "What about Tanya?"

He froze, wondering how she knew about Tanya. He shook his head. "We never made love Bella." He paused. "Everything she wanted was depraved…and not in a good way…like the way you make me feel."

She nodded her head. "I make you feel depraved?"

His breath shuddered when her fingers drifted over his chest. "Like I want to fucking crawl out of my skin, Bella," he admitted.

Her cheeks flamed and her eyes darkened. "I'm ready now," she whispered.

"You're sure?"

She nodded.

He pushed her backwards, settling her on the bed between his outstretched legs. His hands drifted down to her hips where her simple white lace panties hugged her flesh. "Is this okay?"

She nodded.

He tugged on them. She squirmed slightly, helping him pull them off.

Surprisingly, on her own, she crawled back into his lap.

Her head lolled to the side when she felt the familiar heating of her flesh and a low burning ache between her legs. His hands moved to the clasp of her bra. "Is this okay?" His voice was raspy.

It sent chills through her.

She nodded.

He unclasped her bra and slid her arms from the straps.

He tried not to stare too hard at her. "Let me love you," he begged.

"Yes," she breathed.

He pushed her backwards so that her head was laid down on the mattress at the foot of the bed. He hovered over her, careful not to make her feel claustrophobic or closed in.

He laid a light kiss on her neck, slowly moving down her body after laving attention on her skin. He moved his attentions lower and she pressed her thighs together when he was finally between her legs with his face right _there_.

She whimpered when she felt pressure against her knees. "It's okay," he assured her.

She nodded and let her legs fall apart.

"Fuck," he whispered.

She automatically went to close her legs. He held her still and looked up at her.

"You're beautiful…every part," he said.

She made a small noise in the back of her throat when his fingers pressed against the pale flesh of her most private parts. He ran his fingers over her smooth skin, over the layers of scars Felix made with his goddamned razor blade.

"You don't have to shave here," he said, imagining a light smattering of curly brown hair framing her womanhood. Nothing would be more tantalizing.

Her cheeks flamed as he fingered her skin. His eyes caught hers. He saw questions.

He crawled up her body. His muscles flexed enticingly – like he was a predator and she was the prey. She could feel the throb between her legs grow as his eyes scanned her body.

His breathing was labored and she could almost see his wildly pounding pulse at his neck. "I have to check if you're ready," he said.

Her brow furrowed. "I'm ready."

He shook his head and placed his palm against her thigh. "I meant if you're physically ready, love."

She swallowed and nodded.

He pulled her up and sat up against the headboard once more. Her chest pressed against his. He knew he should touch her first – all over, everywhere his hands could reach.

But he also knew that it would be too much for her. She wouldn't be able to handle all of it.

Again, he didn't want her to feel trapped against him if his hands roamed her body as he thrusted into her.

Slowly, his hands grazed down her body to the apex of her thighs. She clenched her eyes shut. No one had ever touched her most intimate parts without causing her pain. But when his fingers drifted over her heated wetness, she gasped and let her eyes roll back in her head.

He pulled his hand away and gulped. She was more than ready. She whimpered and opened her eyes into hooded slits. She watched as he brought his fingers to his lips and swiped his tongue over it quickly. Her brow furrowed in confusion. She wondered why he looked like he was savoring the taste of her core, but she asked, "Am I ready?"

He nodded his head. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. He paused. "I don't have a condom," he remembered.

Her eyes widened. "I don't want one."

She was almost begging him. He realized then that the scent of latex would probably trigger and unfortunate response from her. "We don't have to use one," he assured.

He positioned himself at her entrance and heard her breathing hitch. "I love you," he whispered – his eyes intense. "I love you so fucking much it hurts to breathe."

His eyes disappeared behind his lids when she sank down a little. She let out a small gasp and felt herself losing it quickly. His hands at her waist guided her down at an agonizing pace. She could feel him stretching her. Tiny pangs of pain shot through her but she didn't let it deter her. He stopped half-way down his member, knowing that not much more of him would fit.

"It fucking hurts to think," he continued.

Her nails dug into his shoulder. "More," she pleaded.

His brow furrowed, thinking she needed more of his words. "It hurts to move an _inch_ away from you."

She shook her head, silencing him with a cry and a clench of her inner muscles.

He let out a low growl – his face was red and his breathing hard. His skin was glistening with a light layer of sweat.

"More," she repeated, pulling his hands from her hips and sinking down further, trying to quench the burning fire deep within her.

Her fingernails dug deep into the skin of his back and her free hand yanked roughly at his hair as she neared the base of his cock. His girth widened until she was sitting on his lap – his entire length stretching and filling her to completion.

He gaped at her, surprised. The only other person he had ever had sexual relations with was Tanya and she couldn't fit him inside her. He was dismayed to say that they had to stop their…activities more than once when he would plunge into her too deeply and hit her cervix – causing her to thrash in a pain she wished he would give her more often.

When made him uncomfortable was that she would want it. She would want him to continue hurting her. It was something he never understood. Purposefully hurting a woman? The thought disgusted him to the point where he stopped having sex with her.

He shook his head to clear it of _other _thoughts. She was close. So close she was gasping for air to fill her lungs. "Touch me, Edward," she begged. "Please touch me." Her words were bordering on primal. Her hot breaths puffed against his chest as his hands moved towards her clit.

A light burst before her eyes. She could feel herself soaring. It was unlike any of the other times he touched her flesh with his hands. She was infinitely more sensitive _there_.

She cried out and pressed her mouth to his neck. She didn't feel the sensation ebb. Instead, it grew as if building up to something monumentally better. He slid her up his length slowly, realizing that she was too far gone to be able to move herself.

He could hardly resist the urge to plunge into her. But he did, not wanting to ruin such a monumental step forward in her recovery.

He sank her down again and when she settled on his lap again, she screamed out as if she was being murdered. A gush of her juices spread across his thighs and her body twitched in his arms.

She whimpered when he began to move once more. Because she just came, she was even more sensitive. She came only seconds after her previous orgasm.

He slid in and out of her slowly – so completely removed from reality that he didn't know how much time had passed, only that Bella's body was vice like around him as she continued on in a state of orgasmic bliss.

Every breath that fell from her lips scorched his back. He could barely move inside her without making her cry out with another orgasm.

Her body shook with her efforts to stay grounded and not float off into another universe altogether.

He was groaning loudly against her skin.

She recognized it and yet she didn't.

It sounded like the noises the men at Volterra would make when they neared their disgusting climaxes inside her and yet…it sounded so worshipping of her, as if he was praising her bravery and her trust of him. As if he thought it was a _privilege_ to be inside her. Being inside her was like something that had to be earned.

Her lips were at his ears quickly – urging him on like he had since the beginning.

"Come for me, love. I want to feel you inside me. I love you."

And he was gone.

He gripped her hips tightly; but not tight enough to leave a bruise. His mouth latching onto the side of her neck as he thrust into her quickly with three short thrusts. She could feel his spurting into her.

When his groans seemed to continue on forever, she realized just how much she affected him. He acted as if her body was a shrine that was meant to be worshipped and fawned over. She was perfection and he would never let her go.

He stilled inside of her and pulled her tight to his chest – his breathing hard. His fingers were trembling against her hips. He was waiting for her to make the first move.

She realized this and yet, she could think of nothing to say other than, "I love you." Her words were a pained whisper almost as if she thought they were meaningless compared to the magnitude of her feelings for him.

He sighed in relief. "I love you."

He stood with her still clinging tightly to him. Carefully, he slipped out of her. She whimpered in distress, never wanting the feeling of such utter completion to end.

He held her close and made his way to the bathroom. He completely avoided the bathtub altogether to keep her from any more anguish.

He set her down on the floor of the shower and slid the glass doors shut behind him. He reached around her and turned the water on, setting it on a comforting warm heat. She leaned heavily against him – her eyes threatened to close as exhaustion began to take over her.

She felt the heated water pummeling her back, like it was giving her a massage. Her muscles relaxed as the tips of his fingers twisted into pressure points he knew would make her knees go weak. She whimpered as his hands worked over her back and her shoulders. A warm feeling spread over her from the tips of her toes to the ends of each of her hairs.

She could feel herself flushing red and heating up. He took a step forward. She answered with a step back and she was directly below the spray of the water.

His hands were in her hair, making soapy suds out of his body wash. The white suds slid down her body as he moved his hands lower.

Pulling her to him he let his hands drift to her thighs. She shook, whimpering and arching into him as his hands got closer to the apex of her thighs. He lathered a thick layer of body wash onto his hands and let his fingers glide over her heat.

She grabbed his forearms and held herself up, holding her breath as his fingers trailed over her entrance. "Edward," she breathed.

He cupped her face with his free hand, pulling her in for a deep kiss. Her eyes flashed open in surprise when his fingers slid into her with ease. She gasped and let her head roll backwards.

She felt him growl in her ear when each shove of his fingers into her, made her stand on the tips of her toes before she fell backwards onto the flat of her feet.

His fingers moved faster and faster. She felt him stretch her even more with a third finger. Her fingernails dug into his biceps. He grunted as he lifted her up and pressed her against the tiled wall. He reached around and lowered the temperature of the water so that she would feel the contrast of the cold water around her and his hot skin against her.

She felt a coil tightening – the coil kept winding tighter and tighter, impossibly so until she could barely breath.

She exploded around his fingers in an inferno that made her clutch onto him to keep herself grounded. She felt as if she was flying. His fingers worked her until she was shuddering against him.

He pulled his fingers out of her slowly, his eyes dark and his breaths hot against her skin. "Bella," he whispered.

She looked up at him through the foggy daze of her orgasm. His face was pained and his top lip was curled over his teeth as if he was ready to snarl like a wild animal.

"Tell me no," he begged, looking down. She followed his line of vision. He was already positioned at her entrance. His eyes were wild and she couldn't deny him.

Pulling him closer, she whispered, "Yes."

He was fully sheathed inside her before she could even get the word out. He held still, waiting for her gasping breaths to calm somewhat before he slid out slowly and then back in. She shuddered as his gaze caught her.

He was holding back and all she wanted was for him to let go and feel what she was feeling. Her hand drifted into his wet hair. She tugged hard, bringing his head backwards. She leaned forward and licked his neck. She could feel his growl vibrate through them. "Bella," he warned. He panted against her skin as he slid out and then back in.

The position they were in made his pelvis press against her clit with each pass of his cock. She moaned into his neck before biting down, hard.

His growl grew louder. She sucked a large chuck of his flesh into her mouth, sucking on it, knowing it would make a mark.

He snarled into her ear, his hips moving infinitesimally faster. She released his neck with a 'pop', licking it clean of her saliva. She moved to another spot and bit down on him hard. He grunted and breathed deeply, feeling her getting wetter inside as his movements got faster and faster, harder and wilder.

She whimpered when he finally gave in. His hips arching up pushed her entire body up the tiled wall with the force of his thrusts.

Her body was still vice like around him as she tightened again and again each time she came, calling his name in a choked whisper.

The scents of their activities were a heady mixture of sweat, his body wash, and her arousal, dripping down both of their thighs and mixing with the thundering water around them. Her voice grew hoarse with her moans. She pressed her mouth to his neck and expressed her pleasure with bites and licks, knowing that his neck would be covered with marks the next day.

His thrusts became erratic as he near his release. Wanting her to cum hard one final time, he reached between their colliding bodies and pressed his thumb to her clit. She cried out hard as she felt him building up an intense release.

Capturing one of her breasts in his mouth and then sucking hard, he came as she did, hard and without warning. They exploded and clutched each other, their movements sporadic until they came down from their high.

"I love you," he whispered after washing her clean once more.

Her eyelids were drooping already and her fingers wouldn't let him go. He gathered her in his arms and made his way to the bedroom. He laid her down and pulled her to his chest. He heard her mumble, "I love you," before he drifted away.

**OoO**

Emmett wouldn't stop looking at him – as if he knew what had transpired between Bella and Edward the night before. His eyes were warning him not to hurt her. Edward understood Emmett's protectiveness of her, especially after the news they got that morning of three other murders of girls with similar features as Bella.

They were all sporadically over Seattle. Edward had no idea that Felix had so much pent up rage. There was no way that it was a copy cat, seeing as the details of the murder of the first girl hadn't been released to the public. The viciousness of the crimes had increased on so many levels. Felix had taken to ripping the girls' genitalia to shreds much like Jack the Ripper would've. The amount of blood on scene told them that the girls would've been alive when he tore them apart with that damn razorblade.

They would've felt everything he was doing to them.

The last victim had been the most gruesome. Not only did Felix mutilate her – cutting a deep gash from her uterus to her neck, but he had cut from her anal cavity up her spine.

Most serial killers _did_ escalate the cruelty of their crimes but not over the course of a day.

Not one person saw him either. But analysis of the 911 tapes showed that Felix called in their murders. They matched his voice to the interrogation tapes.

Edward's leg wouldn't stop shaking and his hold on Bella hadn't lessened. It got tighter and tighter as he went over the pictures of the crimes scenes in his mind. His photographic memory kept every detail in perfect accuracy. Unfortunately, he knew that he would never be able to purge those images from his mind.

They would haunt him forever.

Rosalie sat on the window sill opposite them. Her icy blue eyes were red veined from crying.  
She couldn't help but feel responsible for all that was happening…_if only I didn't push him_, she thought, remembering back to the interrogations.

She had been taken off the case by the Federal Courts. They cited that because she was a victim she couldn't prosecute the case. She was too close and emotionally charged.

Emmett stood by her, thinking that it was _entirely_ his fault for stupidly bringing his gun into what he knew would be a long interrogation. It was an amateur mistake that cost four girls their lives.

They waited until Alec returned to his office, where they all were. He had gone to collect every piece of evidence pertinent to the case. He was certain that there was _something _in there that could tell them were Felix was hiding out.

The door flung open and standing there was Alec's disgruntled secretary. She gave Bella a dirty look before hauling one of the boxes onto Alec's desk. Alec followed behind her and set down two other boxes.

A techy from the evidence locker rolled the rest of the boxes in. He set them down and gave a sigh before leaving the office with Alec's secretary, who stared wide eyed at a black and blue mark right behind Edward's ear.

Bella smirked into Edward's chest.

"Let's get started," Alec said. "We know that Aro Volturi has a house somewhere in Chicago."

"Actually, it's somewhere around the city," Bella said. "It was a rural area so that no one could…hear us." Edward pressed his lips to her ear.

Alec nodded, "That narrows it down a little more." He was cut off from his next thought when a generic ring tone echoed through the room. Everyone became silent and stared at Edward. Bella looked confused, wondering why everyone was acting strangely.

Edward pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. It was a disposable cell phone with an untraceable number. He gave Bella an apologetic look before he flipped it open and answered, "Anthony Masen speaking."

**A/N: And there you have it ;)**

**Review please!**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Sorry about the long ass wait people. I was…busy. Yeah…lets go with that *grins cheekily* **

**Some of you have been worried that Edward could get in trouble because he's 19 and Bella's 17 and they had sex. Not to worry people. Since I'm psychotically OCD I made sure to research that. In Washington, it's perfectly legal to have sex when your 17 **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

"Ah, Mr. Masen, how are you?" A rasping voice echoed through the phone.

Edward pulled Bella tighter to her chest and clenched his jaw. "I'm fine, and you?"

Aro chuckled. "I'm fine as well," he said. "Well now, I didn't call you just for pleasantries. Your package is complete."

Edward's brow furrowed and faint strains of a memory filtered into his mind of a conversation that seemed to have occurred years before.

"…_she's already damaged." His pale head shook from side to side as he scoffed. "If I use her before she's healed she'd die and I'd have to by another."_

"_I'm…terribly sorry Mr. Masen. To compensate, I will put together something for you…toys that the others loved to use with her."_

"Well, thank you Aro," Edward replied smoothly, making sure to keep the sound of a smile in his voice.

"You're very welcome. I…would _love_ for you to pick it up here in Chicago and even bring Isabella as well, so I can personally judge your satisfaction with her."

Edward's gaze flickered to Bella's face. Her confusion at his suddenly fierce look was blatant on her face. He could hear the command in Aro's voice and he knew that there was no way of denying him without endangering his alias. "Of course then, I'll plan a trip as soon as possible," Edward agreed.

Aro chuckled again. "I'll call you within the next 24 hours to confirm when your flight arrives. I'll see you and Isabella soon," Aro said before the line went dead.

"Play that back," Emmett said to Alec.

Alec logged onto his computer and accessed the program that was tapped into Edward's phone. Once the conversation had been played back, everyone sat in silence. "She can't go—"

"I know," Edward interrupted Emmett.

Bella's hand tightened around Edward's wrist, silently telling him that he should lessen his grip. He released her with a strained whimper. She stared up at him for a second. "I want to."

Edward shook his head. "If you feel obligated—"

"Edward," she pressed her palm to his cheek. "Of course I feel obligated." Edward sighed, resigned. "I owe it to those girls and this could be our only chance of getting to Aro."

Her eyes pleaded with him. He looked at Alec for help. His face was pensive. "It's not me you have to convince, Bella," he said. "It's the new prosecutor for this case, Victoria Lewis." Alec nodded towards the door, where a fiery red headed woman stood.

Her violet eyes flashed to Bella immediately. "Not to worry, everyone, I heard everything already." She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Alec stood from his desk and offered his seat to her. She took it and looked over the top at Bella. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"If you're worried that I'll jeopardize your case…"

Victoria snorted. "Believe me, honey, that's _not_ what I'm worried about." She leaned forward on her desk and studied Bella for a second. "I used to work with rape victims at a crisis center in the lower east side. The center was literally _blocks_ away from Volterra." Victoria pressed her lips together. "Somehow, I don't think that's a coincidence. Volturi is…well…he's a lot of things. He's a sadist. He likes seeing helpless women in pain," Victoria continued. Bella buried herself in the safety of Edward's arms. "He…does things on purpose."

Victoria chuckled nervously. "What I'm trying to say is that…he's _going_ to make a mistake, and when he does, we'll be waiting. You don't _have_ to do this." Victoria stared at her, trying to make sure she knew that she had options and she wasn't being forced into anything.

"But…" Bella began – her voice small, "how many more girls have to suffer until he makes that mistake? How many more of them will end up dead if I make the wrong decision?"

Victoria nodded, her face grave. "You have to be certain about this."

Bella took a deep breath, "I am."

Victoria nodded again. "All you have to do is say the word and I'll pull the plug myself, do you understand?"

Bella nodded.

"Good," Victoria smiled and turned to face Rosalie, who – with Emmett's help – had situated herself in her wheel chair. The soles of her feet had been sliced up with Felix's razorblade as a punishment for when she tried to run away. She wouldn't be able to walk for a while. "How are we going to do this?" Victoria asked Rosalie.

Rosalie groaned and shifted in the uncomfortable wheelchair. "I thought I was off the case."

Victoria smiled. "I managed to convince a judge that you are an invaluable asset to this case and he agreed to keep you on, but only as a consultant. You _know_ this case, inside out."

Rosalie nodded, but Emmett spoke up. "From the intel we gathered, we know that Aro sees to things personally. Chances are that, he'll be tracking your every move as soon as you book your tickets," Emmett told Edward and Bella. "It's also very likely that he'll pick you guys up from the airport himself."

Edward nodded. "And it's not like we can just arrest him then and there."

"Why not?" Victoria asked.

"He's under constant guard, and it's kind of impossible to hide a SWAT team, let alone at an airport with crowds of people who'll think there's been a serious terrorist threat or something. Plus, his guards are most likely armed, and a shoot out in a crowded airport doesn't exactly bring good PR to the government," Edward said.

"And," Emmett continued, "If we do decide to arrest him at the airport, we'll never be able to find where those girls are. He'll never tell us."

Victoria agreed wholeheartedly. "We'll have to make sure that we plan everything from the second you buy your plane tickets on out."

Edward nodded. "We better get started. We have 24 hours to plan everything before he starts getting suspicious."

They all agreed. While the others began their plans, Alec stood and pulled Edward outside. He almost protested leaving Bella, but decided against it when he sensed that he should listen to what Alec had to say.

Alec wiped his hands over his face before producing a handkerchief and wiping sweat from his brow. "I have a special favor to ask."

"Yes, sir?"

Alec gave him a look.

"What is it, Alec?" Edward relented, leading the old man by the forearm to his own office. Once inside, Alec asked him to draw the shades shut. He did so quickly.

"I need you…to _personally_ find Jane," Alec said. "I can't trust anyone else to do it." He paused. "She'll be afraid, and won't speak." Aro shook his head. "You have to make sure she knows that she can trust you."

"How do I do that?"

"First, you have to identify her," Aro's voice took on a professional tone. He couldn't risk losing his head now. He had to stay strong. Aro fished a picture out of his pocket. It was rectangular and printed on 2x4 photo paper.

Edward unfolded it carefully, noting that it was fragile, due to how many times it had been folded and unfolded, or crushed to someones chest in despair. He could see water spots on the back of the photo, obviously someones tears.

This photo was precious to Alec.

The girl was young and very pretty with blond hair and kind hazel green eyes. "Jane."

"Yes, that's my little darling."

"How do I gain her trust? She'll be afraid of me."

Alec chuckled, slightly nervous before he began with his little story. "She had this assignment you see. She had just started middle school and the teacher required her to read a book," Alec waved it off. "It was some obscure novel by an even more obscure author."

"Rosie was working on a dangerous case involving the Columbian Cartel, so she was away most of the time. I would bring Jane to my office and…she'd read to me…for hours." His eyes watered slightly before he chuckled nervously.

"We had this silly thing we used to do. I called her Charlotte, for the girl in the book," Alec said. "She was just so head strong and defiant." He paused. "God, I hope that doesn't get her in trouble…where she is."

"Alec," Edward said.

"Sorry," he apologized. He cleared his throat before continuing. "She called me Zachariah."

Alec looked away, fearing judgment. They had had a strange dynamic but it worked. She was his little Charlotte and he was her Zachariah.

Edward smiled at the old man. "I'll find her, Alec."

**OoO**

They planned their trip for Thursday. That meant that they only had a full day – Wednesday –to pack and ready themselves and for Bella to get into the proper mindset and fully accept what she was about to do.

It was already late Tuesday night whiles Bella sat on their bed and watched as Edward threw random items into his suitcase. He had already packed hers, not wanting to add more stress on top of her own.

He was definitely anxious, wanting it to be Thursday already so that they will be one step closer to Aro. Bella observed him quietly, not wanting him to snap at her in frustration. He hadn't yet, but she knew that he was close to his breaking point. He was attempting to shoulder his own anxiety and comfort Bella, whom he knew felt a kind of impending doom clouding over her.

He had to give her credit though. She could certainly hide her fear well.

Soon, their suitcases were packed and Edward was just pacing around the room. Bella followed him with her eyes. She knew that she should stand up and go to him…comfort him, but she just couldn't. She was exhausted with everything…and everyone.

After going over everything with Victoria that afternoon, she had come to find Federal Prosecutors annoying. Victoria was extremely thorough with her plans of what should go on during their trip to Chicago.

Using his alias's FBI funded bank account, they had bought plane tickets and planned for every possible scenario. If Alec was going to pick them up from the airport, there wouldn't be a problem in trying to locate Volterra. They knew that they couldn't just follow Aro, because it was inferred that Volterra was located in a very rural area with not a lot of traffic. An unknown car would very easily be spotted by Aro's guards.

They decided to equip Edward's undercover cell phone with a bug so that they could listen into any incriminating conversations. They also made sure to put a GPS tracking device on Edward's phone that wouldn't shut off if his phone does. It had its own power source and didn't feed off his cell phone's battery.

Suddenly, Edward stopped his pacing and his firm gaze was set on her face. He stalked over to her and grasped her face in his hands, pulling her up to meet his lips. She gasped at his suddenness but returned his actions with equal fervor. "Edward," she whimpered against his lips.

"I don't want you to do this," he breathed.

She grasped his hands from her cheeks and pulled them away, settling them on her chest – right over her heart. "I _need_ to do this."

She heard a growl in Edward's chest. "If anyone hurts you…" His voice trailed off.

She, herself, feared for the men at Volterra who would even attempt to lay a finger on her.

**OoO**

The plane ride made her claustrophobic, even in first class. Edward was keeping her at arm's length. He barely glanced at her and hadn't spoken a word to her since arriving at the airport back in Seattle.

Thankfully, he had explained to her that Aro was most likely watching them. They had to act the part of a Master and his submissive – who was there only for his pleasure.

Aro would get suspicious if he were to see them having a conversation and laughing together. Edward had already spotted a very large man a few seats in front of them who gave him the feeling that they _were_ in fact being watched.

Bella's fingers were twitching on her lap. She kept her eyes down and her body was crunched up into itself. Edward wanted nothing more than to pull her onto his lap and hug her to his chest until her troubles melted away.

But he knew he couldn't. He couldn't…wouldn't jeopardize the case…_or_ Bella's faith in him. The only reason he was going along with this was because Bella felt as if she _had _to do this.

She sensed his sudden anxiety and before long, realized that they were being watched. She clenched her thighs together. She also realized that she hadn't used the bathroom in five hours. She had gone at home two hours before their flight was to take off. Now they were three hours into their flight…in one hour she'd be facing her worse nightmare all over again…willingly walking right into it.

She sighed, resigned with what she was about to do. "Mr. Masen," she said; her voice small and demure.

His eyes flashed to her body – prone and shaking.

He gulped down the bile that had risen up in his throat before spitting out, "What?" She flinched at his tone but continued to tell herself that it was all an act. He didn't mean any of it. He was only saying those things because it was the only way to help the girls at Volterra.

She shifted in her seat. "I need to use the bathroom," she whispered.

"Fine," he said, dismissively before turning forward once again.

She hesitated for a moment as all those memories filtered back to her…memories that she wanted to forget almost as much as she wished she was _pure_…for _him_. She stood and quickly made her way to the small bathroom towards the front of the plane. She entered and shut the door behind her.

When she walked out, she was careful to keep her eyes away from the large man who was staring at her with an inappropriate intensity.

He wanted her. He was willing to disobey Aro's orders of leaving her alone just for a _taste_. She was small and Aro had mentioned that she never fought back. He also mentioned that her new owner, Anthony Masen, was already dismayed that his goods were damaged already – which was the entire purpose of his visit, to rectify that. Aro told the spy that Anthony Masen was rich and had many assets. His organization was bigger than the Volturi's. Aro didn't want to risk his own neck because an incompetent henchman got horny.

Edward's alias was a mob boss posing as a businessman. Edward was in so deep, even his alias had an alias. In the mob world, Edward's alias called himself Anthony Masen. But in the 'real' world, he went by Alexander Nicoli, a Greek businessman.

The _real_ Alexander Nicoli was the seventy-two year old owner of Panos Greek Taverna Kleftiko, a Greek restaurant that was nothing more than a hole in the wall in Lower Queen Anne's. Many FBI agents frequented it – including Edward. Nicoli had easily consented to letting Edward 'borrow' his name. He had done nothing in his life other than run the restaurant. He wanted to have done _something_.

Edward felt himself relax into his seat when he saw Bella emerging from the bathroom. She quickly found her seat beside him and didn't speak until they landed in Chicago.

She squirmed in her seat as they landed. Her ears rung and her temples throbbed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tube of Mentos. He handed her the strawberry flavored pack after tearing it open for her. She took it gratefully and put two in her mouth, chewing and feeling slight relief.

She just hoped the spy didn't notice that Edward had dropped his cold demeanor even if it was just for a second. Anyone else who was truly into what Aro promoted would've just let her suffer a migraine.

**OoO**

They waited outside by the other Arrivals who were hoping to catch a taxi. Aro had instructed Edward on where to wait for a limousine.

Bella felt her heart thundering in her chest as a slim limousine slid into the spot in front of them. She automatically stepped back slightly when a large balding man emerged from the driver's side. He had a mean look on his face, and walked with an overzealous macho gait. In reality, he was just a few inches taller than Bella.

He opened the passenger door at the back of the long black car and gestured for them to enter. Edward took the first step, making sure to put at least some kind of distance between Aro and Bella as he entered the car.

Bella hesitated for just a second before following him. She kept her eyes down as she heard Edward and Aro make their greetings. Her fingers dug into her seat when Aro finally turned her attention to her.

"And how do _you_ like your new owner?" Aro chuckled at her and took another sip of the bronze liquid in his whiskey glass.

She clenched her eyes shut and flinched away from him. "I'm _talking _to _you._ Have you become deaf?" She didn't respond. Edward could do nothing more than sip his drink. Aro reached down and grabbed her ankle, pulling her towards him. She let out a small squeal of surprise before she felt another hand…Edward's.

He pushed Aro's hand away. "She must be punished for her insolence," Aro insisted.

"She will be…but I have my own methods," Edward assured him.

Aro sat back, disgruntled, but sated.

Edward cast Bella an assessing look, trying to determine if he should continue with the mission or call it off altogether. She had her face hidden behind her hair as she stared out the window to look at the passing world. He sighed inwardly and turned to Aro once more; talking about any and all things he could manage, in an attempt to keep attention off of Bella.

And so it continued for the two hour drive through Chicago to the outskirts of the town, where they kept driving until skyscrapers and taxi cabs gave way to dense foliage and random little farms.

After a long winding drive up a dirt road, they pushed through a thicket of tall oak trees to a large courtyard. The car turned around the large fountain set in the center of the open area and parked in front of the massive wooden carved front doors.

Aro exited out of the car first, with Edward and Bella in tow. He pulled her by her wrist. Not hard enough to scare her, but so that Aro would see that he _led_ her, he didn't let her wander on her own. That simple action, or lack thereof, could make or break his cover. If he didn't pull her along like an animal, Aro would take that as a sign that Edward didn't care if Bella followed him at all. But if he _did_, it would show that he demanded authority over her as a true Master should.

**OoO**

Once they were situated in Aro's office, he had one of his guards bring in a large wooden chest. Edward stood and went to look at the contents of the box. Keeping his facial expression especially clear of all disgust, he opened the box. The first thing his fingers found was a large wooden paddle.

Bella could feel her heart thumping in her chest immediately and her face blushing red. She didn't want Edward seeing all the things all those men had done to her.

Edward swung the paddle between his fingers, observing the weight of it. He was stunned. It was extremely heavy and would take a great deal of effort to lift it, let alone swing it. He couldn't even begin to imagine how many times Bella had been beaten with the object in his very hands. He could see splits in the wood that would have only been formed if the paddle was used too harshly. His fingers ran along them carefully.

"Oh, don't worry about those," Aro said, referring to the damages. "The items in _that_ particular box are just small mementos that would most definitely keep Isabella in her place. Things you can actually use are in a box in your room…just in case you would like to start a bit early," Aro said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Edward chuckled, trying not to make it seem forced. "Well that's wonderful," Edward said, knowing that the items in the box held enough memories to invoke the worst kind of fears in Bella. He walked over to her and tapped her cheek twice with the paddle. He could see the fear drowning the once glowing light in her eyes so he backed off. He hated the fact that he was setting back Bella's recovery by a significant amount of time.

"What do you think?" Edward asked her, his voice full of venom. "Would you like to have a little fun, my pet?" His fingers found her hair and he pulled her head back with it.

She refused to look at him, knowing the dangers of dropping the act, even for a second, for a chance to look into his eyes, where she was certain she would find regret and sorrow for what was happening.

He dropped her head. "If you don't mind, I'd like to head to bed now, for a little fun," Edward said slyly.

"Oh, of course," Aro said, waving them off. "Your room is the white room on the third floor. Isabella is staying in her old room in the basement—"

"That won't be necessary," Edward interrupted quickly. Aro quirked an eyebrow. "I…would _prefer_ to have her stay in my room, where I will be able to keep an eye on her," Edward said, hoping Aro would buy it.

Aro smiled and sank into the large leather chair he was sitting in at his desk. He was pleased with Edward's response. No man who was truly a sadist belonging to his organization would ever let their 'pet' just roam around on their own without any supervision. "Of course then, Mr. Masen," Aro chuckled. His eyes became wicked. "When you are finished with your little playtime session, come find me for a nice game of poker, will you?" The rasping man was practically demanding him to.

"Yes, Aro." Edward nodded and pulled Bella out of the room. He followed one of the guards to the third floor.

Once safely inside their bedroom, he let out a sigh of relief and pulled her to his chest, huddling her close to him. He held her tightly until she stopped trembling. Once she gained her bearings she hesitantly brought her arms up to wrap around his torso.

"Don't let go," she begged.

He lifted her into his arms easily. "I never will," he promised.

**OoO**

Edward ran his hands through his hair as he made his way down to Aro's study. He knocked before entering. When he walked in, Aro was setting up a small green table in the middle of the room. After producing cards and chips, they began their game.

"It's not for real money, of course," Aro assured him. "No need to cause any stresses on our business together," Aro chuckled nervously.

Edward merely smiled at him – trying to keep his disgust at bay for the remainder of the night.

"So how is Isabella?" Aro asked. Edward knew that he wasn't asking how she was doing.

"She is…adequate," Edward said, not wanting Aro to think too much of his relationship with her.

Aro nodded, trying to hide his disappointment. "Well, if you're interested in _another_," he paused to clear his throat, "…less _used_ girl…" his voice trailed off.

Edward's eyes flashed up to meet Aro's, over the cards he had splayed out in his hands. His words definitely had his attention. "Yes?" he prompted.

"I have a shipment coming in, later tomorrow," Aro said.

Edward smiled easily. "I'll have a look," he said as nonchalantly as he could. He leaned forward in his seat. "Just…wondering…"

"Yes?" Aro asked.

"Do you have any here?"

Aro raised his eyebrows in confusion before understanding dawned on him. Then his face screwed up into one of rage and disgust. "No…all of them _here_ are filthy whores." Aro resettled in his seat, still looking like he smelled something bad.

"I see," Edward said, realizing that that meant that Jane wouldn't be here. She would definitely be on the next shipment in.

"But, I'll most definitely give you first choice, Mr. Masen," Aro assured.

"Thank you," Edward said, carefully pulling his undercover cell phone from his pocket; an excuse to leave the room.

"Need to make a call?" Aro asked.

"Yes. I need to inform my PA that I won't be arriving home tomorrow like I had planned," Edward lied easily.

"Your…PA?"

"Yes, my Personal Assistant."

"Oh!" Aro laughed loudly, bending his neck backwards whiles doing so. Edward wanted nothing more than to press the barrel of his gun into it and threaten him until he soiled himself before blowing a hole in his neck.

"I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with your 'American' terms," Aro said, chuckling. Edward could do nothing more that rant inwardly at the fragile old man's stupidity. Aro sighed, melting his rasping laugh away. "I was born and raised in another country and yet…I _own_ all of…this," he said, motioning around himself with pride.

Edward chuckled shortly. "I should go," he said, standing from his chair.

Aro nodded. "When you're finished, bring Isabella down for some dinner," he commanded.

"Of course, Aro," Edward found himself saying again as he made his way to the door.

It appeared as if they were staying for longer than they hoped they would be.

**A/N: So…yeah…review and all that jazz **


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Sorry guys, I've been suffering from a massive case of writer's block. All my stories have been halted because of it and I'm terribly sorry :(. Also, my arthritis has decided that it wanted to make my life miserable so my joints have stopped cooperating *more sad faces***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Several hours later, Edward found himself walking through the maze like hallways of Volterra, towards his and Bella's room.

He hoped that no one decided to bother her. They better not have. Aro had assured him that his property would not be touched. Not only would someone have to be utterly stupid to mess with Bella, but they would then have to face Aro's wrath and Edward's even more so.

He pushed their bedroom door open and was surprised to see a familiar face. He shut the door open quickly.

Riley was standing there, watching Bella as she read. This could only mean one thing. The FBI was already infiltrating Volterra slowly. After their greetings, Riley explained everything.

Apparently, because Aro is so _paranoid_, he constantly has guards wandering the compound. But stupidly enough, he is so fearful of the downfall of his empire that he barely even knows who anyone is. He doesn't do thorough background checks on his employees.

Bella was right. His paranoia would be his downfall.

There were so many holes in Aro's security. It was fairly simple to sneak into the large mansion. After the FBI tracked Edward's cell phone to their current location they immediately began to mobilize. Gruff looking agents swarmed the building, blending in easily with the rest of the guards. Even if there was no way for Edward to tell who were agents and who were Volturi's men, Edward still had the assurance of backup if he needed it.

"Volturi said that some girls are coming in tomorrow," Edward said in a hushed tone, not wanting to disturb Bella, who seemed fairly calm at the moment.

Riley cursed. "I'll have to stop the raid then," he said, rushing to stand from his seat at the small table by the veranda.

"Wait, when is it?"

Riley chuckled shortly. "Now."

**OoO**

Edward nervously paced their bedroom while he waited for Riley to return with news. If the FBI stormed the building before the girls arrived, Aro would have time to not only escape in the mazes of hallways but he could divert the shipment and Jane would be lost without any leads.

There was a knock at the door before Riley entered, flustered and out of breath. "It's done," he said. "I had someone sneak a message to Masen."

"He's here?"

Riley nodded.

"That was a bad idea. Volturi most certainly have men tailing him."

Riley shook his head. "He was discreet about it," he assured.

Edward sighed. He just hoped Alec's desperation to find Jane didn't cost them their case. "Volturi wants us at dinner," he said.

Riley raised an eyebrow. "I'll…_escort_ you…just in case you need backup."

Edward nodded his thanks and asked Riley to wait outside. He approached Bella carefully, seeing as how she was completely absorbed by the book in her hands and would definitely get scared easily.

"Bella?"

She hummed.

"Volturi wants you to be at dinner with us."

Her eyes darted to him before she closed her book solemnly. "Ok," she whispered.

Soon, they found themselves seated in an elaborate dining room that looked more intimidating than the 'homey' atmosphere the decorator was supposedly going for.

Riley stood in the far corner of the room, besides a medieval knight and a giant flag with a detailed crest on it. He almost blended into the walls. Aro probably wouldn't even notice his presence.

Suddenly, the heavy wooden doors swung open and Aro entered with a flourish of pleasantries. He lowered his frail body into the chair at the head of the table. Bella sat besides Edward, instead of opposite him.

Aro smiled at Edward and immediately began to strike up conversation. Just as Aro was about to broach the topic of the new shipment of girls coming in, the food arrived. Several young girls entered, holding trays of food and drinks.

The girl holding Aro's tray, trembled in fear as she set his food down. She pulled a fork out of the apron tied haphazardly about her tiny waist. It was the only clothes she had on. Aro proclaimed that women were naturally greedy and he didn't want the women who prepared his food to steal any of it and hide it in the folds of her clothing.

The girl – not even having reached the climax of her adolescence – dipped the fork in her hand into Aro's food and placed it in her mouth.

Aro was terrified of being poisoned by his own meal so he had other more…expendable persons test it first. Aro watched as the girl swallowed it before he waved her away. Edward watched as she turned, revealing her bare backside covered with red lash marks. Her cinnamon colored skin was inflamed with deep gashes along her shoulders and ribs.

She had recently been beaten.

Edward looked at her feet; she had a slight stumble in her walk. It could mean she was ill with an infection, she lost copious amounts of blood, or the pain was too much for her.

Bella made a small noise in her throat and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She leaned forward and hunched over. It was as if she felt the girl's pain. As if she felt the welts on her back. As if she knew she had to sit and move a certain way in order to prevent the gashes from opening.

Edward remembered that she did feel the girl's pain. She had been beaten like that, God knows how many times, when there was no one to heal her wounds and whiles the sick disgusting men that admired her most likely tortured her.

He felt a raw anger rising up in him that made him want to pull his lip over his teeth and snarl, marking his territory and avenging Bella.

He felt a small hand creep up his knee and settle on his thigh. She was telling him to calm down. He cast a look in her direction but she paid no mind, she merely shifted the food in front of her around on her plate, knowing that she wasn't actually allowed to eat any of it just yet…not until her Master had given her permission.

"Eat, you need your strength for later," Edward said sharply. Aro lifted his eyes to observe as Bella lifted the fork to her lips and took miniscule bites of salad.

Aro grunted as he continued to devour his T-bone steak. Edward cut his into little chunks and spooned some of it onto Bella's plate.

Aro raised an eyebrow at him.

"She needs protein," Edward said simply. "She's not strong enough to work all day and then cater to my needs at night."

Aro nodded. "So that's why you need another?"

Bella froze for a fraction of a second and her eyes darted to Edward who remained cool and collected. He had forgotten to mention his plan to Bella, which was very stupid since she now had to hear about it from Anthony – who, in Edward's opinion was a giant prick.

Edward nodded 'yes' and diverted his eyes back to his plate.

"I see," Aro said. "But why so young?" He asked.

Edward shrugged. "She'd be easily impressionable and would learn not to question me."

Aro raised his eyebrows and sat back in his seat, his steak gnawed down to the bone. He picked his teeth with the end of his fork. "Does _this_ one question your actions?"

Edward shrugged noncommittally, knowing to keep attention away from Bella.

Aro chuckled shortly and stood from his seat. "I'll be heading to bed now, enjoy your dinner." With that he turned and walked from the room, closing the doors behind him.

Edward let out a sigh and looked at Bella. "I'm not hungry anymore," she whispered.

Edward nodded and pulled her up carefully, he nodded his goodnight to Riley, even though he knew Riley would not be sleeping. No undercover FBI agent would be.

When they made it up to their room, Bella asked in a timid voice, "Can we shower together?" as if she feared that he would say 'no'.

"Of course Bella," he whispered, pulling her into the bathroom.

He stripped her clothes off with soft caresses and small kisses on her skin. He made sure the water was hot before climbing into the shower with her in tow. He knew she wanted to wash the filth of the day off of her body.

They stood for a few minutes as Edward captured water in his palm and dripped it over Bella's head. He took the bottle that reminded him of hotel shampoo and squirted some into his palm and began to massage it into her hair. Before long, he could feel heat dripping down his chest where Bella's head lay as she leaned against him.

He knew it wasn't the water.

"Bella?" he asked, leaning backwards.

"That girl…" she trailed off.

Edward sighed. "I know," he said.

"That was me," she whimpered quietly.

"I know," he said again, pressing her to his chest as he let the powerful spray of the water wash the shampoo away. She listened as his heartbeat increased. She even _felt_ the slight rise of his skin temperature as his anger grew. She sighed and pressed her hands into the middle of his back. She was practically wrapped around him, but not in the way he longed for suddenly.

He sighed and reached behind her to turn the water off. He knew that now was not the time to express his need for her…her heat…her wetness.

He shivered as he stepped out of the shower, but played it off as a shiver from the cold. He wrapped a towel around her and walked, naked, into their room. He could practically feel the heat of her blush bouncing off of her skin. He could also feel her eyes on his backside.

He wasn't afraid to admit it. He was blessed with a wonderful body, shaped as if chiseled in stone and muscled like the Michelangelo himself. The muscles of his back stretched and wrinkled with his movements. He was sinewy and strong.

When he felt her gaze from behind him, drift lower, to his erection, he swung around quickly. His gaze darkening as she continued to stare, unabashed at the large appendage.

She felt her skin burn and her thighs dampen. She looked up at him expectedly – waiting for him to at least initiate something.

But he hesitated, unsure of what she wanted, until a peach blush spread across her naked chest. Her towel lay on the floor, forgotten. Her breasts were full and pert, firm and seemed to fill his large hands to completion. Her nipples were a dark pink – almost purple and hard and erect, longing for his tongue.

He found his hands ghosting up her ribs. When she leaned into him, he knew her answer. She needed him. He already knew that he wouldn't be sleeping; he might as well fill the night with the magnificent scents and sounds of her pleasure.

He leaned down towards her. She closed her eyes in anticipation but groaned when he diverted his attention from her lips to her collarbones.

His lips were soft against her skin, making her arch up into his mouth for more.

"Slow," he whispered, holding her still as he continued his torment.

"Faster," she begged, her voice trembling as her flesh heated up with every pass of his lips over her skin. He had begun a fiery trail downwards towards her breasts. Her hands moved to the nape of his neck as her urgency burned her. "I need you," she whimpered.

He grunted lifting her up slightly to reach her breasts. The flat of his tongue pressed against her nipple, his hot mouth was hard and wanton against her.

She arched her back upwards, pressing into his strong arms.

She felt him moving, back towards the bed. "I want to try something," he said, his voice a hot whisper in her ear.

"Okay," she said, too impatient with anticipation to ask questions.

He laid her flat on her back, her dark wet hair spread out above her head. She looked like sin personified.

Her feet rested flat on the bed, her knees pressed together with her sudden uncertainty. He stroked the skin above her belly button. "You can tell me to stop if I make you uncomfortable," he gave her a pointed look.

She nodded 'yes'.

He bends lower, pressing his lips to both of her knees, silently asking her for trust. She groaned lowly and gave him what he wished, parting her knees for him.

He gently kissed her belly button, peeking his tongue out to trace circles downwards. She made a hesitating noise in the back of her throat. He looked up at her, his eyes dark. He raised a single eyebrow. "What are you doing?" she asked.

He merely grinned at her, all white teeth and sharp canines, looking wild. His eyes glinted as if the answer was obvious.

"With your mouth?" she squeaked.

His smirk grew.

"Will it hurt?" she whispered.

His grin fell but his eyes remained wanton as he crawled up her body, hovering over her. She suddenly wished she had kept her mouth shut and not asked questions. She knew he wouldn't hurt her. But she felt apprehension.

Now she just felt need and curiosity.

"I'd never," he reassured her with a pointed look. He pressed his mouth to hers. "Don't make a sound," he warned.

Her brows pulled together. "Edward?"

He looked at her, his eyes dark yet…angrier. "I don't want _them_ to hear."

She nodded and her head sunk into her pillow, a silent invitation.

His hot breaths fanned across her skin as he moved down her body once more. He felt his erection twitch as his face became level with her core.

Her flesh was soaking wet and a magnificent pink-red color. "No noise," he reminded her, his voice husky with desire as he leaned down. He licked her, one smooth swipe along the length of her slit.

Her hips rose up off the bed as she gasped. Her pleasure spiked suddenly. He gazed up at her through his lashes letting her taste encompass his tongue. She was sweet like tangerines yet musky like chocolate.

He leaned in for more, finding her clit quickly and pressing his tongue against it. Her breaths trembled as he continued slowly, knowing how much he was building her up. She struggled to obey his command and not let out a sound.

But watching him closely, she saw his eyes clenched shut as if he was savoring her, her trust…her taste. She could feel a low rumble coming from his mouth. It shot straight into her and she erupted, biting her lip to keep quiet.

She twisted her hips away from his mouth – away from his sweet tortuous assault. She settled down, letting her fingers relax their grip of the soft sheets below her.

"Edward…" she whimpered.

He was slowly kissing up her stomach to her breasts, letting his tongue swipe over her pert nipples. "Shall I make you come this way?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered in a breathy voice that made the muscles of his groin tighten.

He smirked against her chest and began swirling his tongue around, licking, sucking, and pulling at her breasts. She was easily climbing to her peak.

With a final tug as his teeth scraped along her nipple, she came apart, letting out a soft gasp, her hands reaching for him to hold him close.

She shuddered as he turned her on her stomach. "Is this okay?" he asked, his voice gentle.

"Yes," she said, her breathing hard as she wondered what he was going to do next. She couldn't see him, which only heightened her senses.

He kissed down her back, over her scars to the curve of her ass. "Lift your hips," he commanded.

She did as she was told. He positioned her so that she was on her knees. She lifted her body up, resting on the palms of her hands.

She knew this position well.

She was scared.

"Don't be," he whispered, as if he could read her mind. He was hovering over her. she could feel his arousal pressed into her lower back as he reached above her, taking her hands. "Hold onto those bars," he said, referring to the iron bars of the headboard. She complied – a little too easily. "Relax," he urged. "Do you remember what I told you?" he questioned.

She hesitated. "I'm not an animal," she whispered, arching into his hands, which were tugging at her breasts.

"You're not," he assured her. "I'm not taking you in this position…yet," he said, his voice gruff.

Her heart leaped. She wasn't sure if it was relief or disappointment. As he hovered over her, letting the familiar shape of his body mould to hers and letting his apple sun kissed scent wash over her, she realized that she was comfortable.

She was no longer afraid, she was eager. "Edward," she murmured.

His lips brushed against her shoulder, moving lower. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yes."

His fingers found her core, hot and wet. Her silky flesh beneath his fingertips almost made him forget what he was trying to do. "Tell me if it's too much," he said. She didn't get a chance to respond as he slid a finger inside her.

She pushed backwards, enjoying even the slight thickness of his finger inside her. Their position was so intimate. She was putting her trust in him not to take advantage of her and he was inside her, his finger, part of his hands. Hands that caressed her and calmed her, hands that held her close when she needed him.

She let out a soft gasp as his curled his finger towards the mattress. "More," she urged. His slipped his finger out, replacing it with two, again curling it towards the mattress, probing and searching she realized, through the fog of pleasure his free hand on her breast was creating.

Then the tips of his fingers brushed against something inside her. It made her cry out and arch towards him. He pulled his fingers from her immediately, leaning back and watching as her entrance responded, shrinking back.

He groaned, wanting nothing more than to be inside her, but he had more pressing matters. His hand remained where it was, kneading her breast. He could hear her trembling breaths. Her hands were barely holding onto the bars. "Edward, please," she begged.

"Please what, Isabella?" he asked, tauntingly. He reached beneath her with his now free hand, still coated in her wetness. He grabbed all the pillows, stacking them up beneath her shoulders and head so that she'd have some support. Her arms relaxed but her hands still held fast to the iron bars. She sunk into the pillows.

"Tell me what you need, Isabella," he whispered into her ear. She shuddered at the way he said her name again – like a desperate prayer. "Do you need this?" he questioned as his thumb slid over her achingly sensitive nipples.  
"Yes…no…please, Edward!" she cried wanting him inside her, grazing that spot that made her see lights beneath her eyelids.

"You don't want this?" he questioned, giving her breasts each a squeeze before his hands came up to rest on her hips.

She realized that he was taunting her and strangely, she ached for it. She ached for the suspense of what he would do next. She knew that no matter what, it would be crippling it was so pleasurable.

Her breath quickened as she waited for what was to come. "Edward," she cried, desperate for release.

"You need to be quiet Bella," he said. There was a different rawness in his voice – anger, not arousal.

With his voice alone, she realized just how much he wanted to keep her noises of pleasure for himself and not share them with whoever could be lurking in the hallways outside their door.

"I'm sorry," she pleaded.

He grunted as if to tell her she need not apologize for what she couldn't control.

His tongue against her neck made her jump, she was hyperaware of everything other than what was in her minimal field of vision and her hyperawareness was making her even more hypersensitive than usual.

She came – with just the tip of his tongue against her neck. She cried out, panting into the pillows beneath her head to minimize her sounds.

She gasped as she felt his fingers against her entrance. "Again?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered.

He slid two fingers into her, pushing against her incredible tightness. He curled his fingers towards the mattress again and easily found _that_ spot once more.

He pressed against it once, using more pressure than last time. She arched her back as if trying to spread the pleasure out across her body instead of it maddeningly being concentrated in that one spot.

Her movement did nothing more than make Edward remove his fingers and trace them around to her breasts.

She was desperate, clenching her walls around nothing in an attempt to get at least some kind of friction. "Edward, please," she groaned as his hands kneaded her breasts in his palms.

"Please what, Isabella?" he asked, his voice husky and taunting.

"Edward," she whined, she could almost feel tears in her eyes she was so desperate.

He released one of her breasts and began to trace his fingers down her back lightly – making her squirm.

He raised himself up on his arms so just the tip of his cock was barely brushing against her entrance. He clenched his eyes shut and held his breath for several seconds before pushing in, only the tip. She was squeezing around him so _tightly_.

She squirmed when he held her waist firmly, preventing her from arching back.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, clenching tightly around him.

He muttered a string of explicit words in her ear. She relaxed.

"Do you want me to take you this way?" he asked between clenched teeth.

"Yes," she said, her voice rising with her desperation.

He groaned against her shoulder and pulled away. "Not today, Bella," he said softly, knowing her limits even if she didn't know them herself. As long as they were behind Volterra walls, he would not enter her. He wasn't sure what her reaction would be, but he knew that afterwards – when the pleasure was over and her mind was clear, she'd fall apart and be overwhelmed with the memories of men who had been inside her in Volterra.

He never wanted to be associated with _them_ in her mind.

She was chanting his name, over and over and over again. He had left her hanging and her chest heaved with her tremulous breaths.

He made sure to touch no part of her as he leaned closer and blew in her ear. She held still, sucking in a huge breath of air as she came, crying out as her pleasure peaked and had her freefalling mercilessly into the abyss.

When she finally found light, she heard a deep velvety voice in her ear.

"Again?" he asked.

**OoO**

Aro's faint chuckle filled the large room. He patted Edward's shoulder as he filled with glee. He was about to make another important business deal with Anthony Masen. Of course he was excited.

Bella hovered close by, her eyes on her feet. She was fitted with a yellow summer dress that hung to her knees.

Aro had gazed at her attire in disgust, proclaiming that whores should dress like whores, not like they were going out for Sunday brunch.

Edward waved him off stating that guests at his home were of a higher class and need not know of his extracurricular activities by him having Isabella march around dressed like a submissive. Dressing her in normal less provocative clothing would help her get into habit.

Aro agreed, not willing to offend his important customer once again. "Bring them," Aro said.

A line of girls entered, each stumbling with fear and helplessness, not even realizing the amount of danger they could be in if Edward wasn't the one standing before them.

Edward turned to Aro, "I'd like some privacy," he said.

Aro nodded, "Isabella, come!" he commanded as he made his way to the exit.

"She stays," Edward objected.

Aro raised a questioning brow.

"She needs to assist me in this process. I can't do this without her. She will after all be training the new girl," Edward explained with ease.

In truth, he didn't want Bella anywhere near Aro in private, especially if Jane was discovered in the line of girls, then the raid would begin. However, if Jane was not found, they'd have to give up and take their chances – raiding Volterra and looking for Jane later.

Aro hesitated for a moment before nodding and turning for the door once more. "I'll be outside then," he said. He shut the door softly behind him despite his anger with Anthony Masen. He hated people like Masen who had too much power and too much arrogance. He scoffed and sat on one of the benches that lined the corridor.

He didn't even realize his hypocrisy.

Once alone, Edward eyed the two guards on either side of the room. One of them nodded at him in silent understanding – FBI – the other stared ahead, bored – Volturi.

Edward started at the beginning of the line, looking for Jane. He completely skipped girls of the ethnic nature, instead reaching for girls with blond hair and light skin tilting their heads up to look at their faces.

They all had different levels of fear. Some were more defiant then other – braver in the face of danger. But they all seemed to relax as they looked into his kind green eyes.

Near the end of the line, when anxiety was beginning to set in as he couldn't find her yet, he tilted her head back. The girl was smaller than the rest of them and trembling.

Beneath the dirt and grime that marred her, he could see that she had extraordinarily pale skin and bleach blonde hair. Her hazel green eyes were filled with fear and yet they were inquisitive.

Jane.

**A/N: Would that be considered a cliffy? *shrugs***

**Review please **


	28. Hiatus Updates

**UPDATE:** **6/8/2011**

**As some of you know – those who've read the original version of The Mobster's Son – a little over a year ago, my maternal grandmother passed away. I had gone back to my home country and laid her to rest – taking a short hiatus as well.**

**Unfortunately, I feel the need to take yet **_**another **_**hiatus. A couple of months ago, my great grandfather – to whom I was very close to – had passed away. He was a prominent religious figure in my home country and was very well loved and respected.**

**Earlier this evening, my paternal grandmother passed away. What had started a breast cancer two years ago had grown into lung cancer, liver cancer, and bone cancer. Even though I should have been well prepared, her death felt sudden to me.**

**I haven't been able to see her because she has been in a hospice, and my immune system isn't exactly in tip-top shape.**

**My grandmother was lived a hard life but somehow made it to this very special country. She is one of the reasons I have an actual future ahead of me.**

**She had only one name like Madonna, Cher, and Prince.**

**Bissoondai, you will be greatly missed.**

**Also, many complications have arisen due to my arthritis. I can no longer lift my arms and my Rheumatologist has found bone spurs on my hip bone.**

**I am very sorry to have to inform you that I will be taking my leave from FFN for a while – at least until I can sort out my thoughts. As you can tell, I have a lot on my plate, and not the best luck imaginable.**

**I can assure you though; this hiatus will**_**not**_**result in me permanently leaving FFN. I'm already working on an entirely new version of chapter 3 of TMS and I am half-way done with the next chapters of Mockingbird and The Color of Freedom.**

**I have posted this update on all my stories, so don't think I'll be favoring one over the other.**

**Please be patient. There is only so much stress I can take and I don't really want to go into my heart problems right now.**

**So…yeah…I've said my peace.**

…**I'll see you guys later…**

* * *

**UPDATE:****12/29/2011**

**I am sincerely grateful that I have such amazing and understanding readers such as you. I thank you all for sticking it out for me. Your words of kindness and support bring me overwhelming joy, especially in such hard times.**

**It is not with happiness that I bring more news. December 5th****of this month, I lost my great-grandmother. She was very important to me, having taken care of me so much as a younger child. Her husband had passed earlier this year and I guess that she felt as if it was her time.**

**Also, I am now using a crutch to help me walk because my arthritis is becoming increasingly uncooperative. I've begun a series of different treatments since my last update. First the anti-inflammatories (which I am still on), muscle-relaxers, steroids, and now I take shots to help suppress my immune system…My doctor is certain that my JRA will follow me into adulthood and for this I worry about my future.**

**However, during my time away from FFN, I've realized that writing helps me cope with everything going on in my life.**

**I will begin to update all of my stories within the next few days. I'm thinking that the new year is very appropriate for my want…no**_**need**_**of a fresh start. I am an extremely optimistic person and I'm very willing to leave all the sadness of this year behind me.**

**I hope you all will have a very happy New Year.**

**I'll see you guys soon…**

**..**


	29. Chapter 28

**A/N: Wow. It's been a while, huh? It may seem like I've just abruptly ended this story. But to me, this seems…right. I've been working on it for several years and I feel as if I've gone far enough with this particular plot line. However, please bear in mind that Felix is **_**still**_** on the loose, and I've never been one for leaving something unfinished. Simply put, there **_**will**_** be a sequel. So keep me on your alerts.**

**I just want to thank all of you. You've been through a lot with me. All my sicknesses and the losses I've suffered have been lessened because you random people decided that what I'VE written was good enough to read. Good enough to take time out of your day, just for me. I have no words other than **_**thank you.**_** From the very bottom of my heart. Thank you.**

**~Words**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Jane stared back at the boy in front of her. He was at least eighteen years old, of that she was sure. He even looked like some of the boys at her school – well the football players at least.

But still, he was just a kid. What was he doing standing in front of her, appraising her as if she was livestock?

His eyes suddenly changed – relief. He was a strange boy.

His next word made her halt her own appraisal of him. "Charlotte?" he asked pointedly.

Her eyes filled with tears. "Where's my Zachariah?" she asked.

"He's waiting for you," Edward assured the poor little girl – crying for her grandfather. "But you need to wait, just a few minutes and it will all be over."

Jane pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded, bowing her head. Edward stepped back, "Isabella," he called.

Jane almost flinched at his harsh tone. She was scared. Why was he being mean to the other girl behind him? He was supposed to be the superhero…not the bad guy.

Bella stepped behind him and looked at the girl who was almost as tiny as she was. "Jane?" Bella questioned, her voice soft so the Volturi guard wouldn't hear.

Jane looked up between the two of them. She realized then that it was all an act to get her out. She gave them both understanding looks and looked to her feet again. Bella turned her back to the girl, standing in front of her and looking at her feet as well as Edward called Aro in.

Aro entered with a flourish. "Have you chosen, Mr. Masen?"

Edward smiled, a slow winning grin as he reached into his pocket, pulling out the gold badge that proved who he really was.

Watching as Aro's face fell was one of the single most amazing things Edward had ever witnessed besides Bella coming apart beneath him.

In those few seconds, the FBI agent had incapacitated the Volturi guard and had his gun pressed to Aro's temple. "Freeze," the man yelled.

Aro raised his hands, without arrogance or pride. He was completely and utterly defeated.

**OoO**

Edward paced the confines of the room. The Director of the Chicago FBI field office was debriefing his agents – whom he had lent to Alec's investigation. Alec had successfully been reunited with Jane and for now, everything was calm.

They had, however, separated Edward from Bella, needing to take a statement from her. Edward was extremely defensive of her. Their insistent questions seemed like an interrogation to him.

Surprisingly, she was the one who asked him to leave. He was in the small bathroom located down the hall from Bella, but he felt as if there were miles between them.

His phone rang suddenly – scaring the hell out of him. It was Alec. "Sir," he answered briskly.

"Agent Cullen," Alec's gruff voice replied. The formality made Edward stiffen. Something was wrong. "We are leaving later this afternoon. Please make sure to inform the rest of the agents."

"Sir, there is no way we can secure transportation for Volturi in the allotted time—"

Alec cut him off. "There will be no need. The Chicago field office with be taking over the investigation from here." He was angry…almost murderous. He had spent nearly three years working this case and now he had to hand the satisfaction of a conviction over to the understaffed, completely ill-equipped Chicago field office.

He wanted to cuss his way out of needing to hand the case over but it _was_, however, his own fault.

He'd already had his ass reamed by Headquarters for not following protocol. He had gotten too close to the case and the rest of the FBI feared the repercussions of his actions.

Edward's heart plummeted. There was no way the Chicago agents could handle this case. "Yes sir," he said, his voice pushed through his teeth.

Alec nodded, not even realizing that Edward couldn't see him. He felt like he was drowning. He hung up quickly and made his way towards the tiny uncomfortable room they were interviewing Bella in.

He felt as if the universe was out to get him. His daughter and granddaughter were kidnapped by the Volturi – they may have been two different men, but their intentions were the same.

Yes Rose was returned, but the soles of her feet were completely shredded. Her nerves were completely ruined.

And then there was Jane. She was back, asleep in one of the agents' office, but she wasn't the same. She was a child. Her lack of sanity was indeed disturbing, but not as disturbing as the fact that she couldn't seem to think of Alec as her grandfather, only as her Zachariah.

It was as if she was stuck in that damn book. Alec used to love that book – the story of a young daring girl braving the seas as well as a domineering captain. Now he hated it…loathed it even. It had stolen his little girl's mind away from him and he could do nothing but consider having her committed to an asylum.

**OoO**

Edward found himself wandering back to the little 'interview' room. Surprisingly, Alec was waiting there with Bella glued to his side. Her eyes were wide and frightened. "It seems as if the men here need some lessons in the art of taking a statement from a shaken victim," Alec spat towards the agents who had been talking with Bella.

They scoffed and one of them said, "Well, someone's got a hair up their ass."

The other one elbowed him for a turn. "It's all on you, _sir_," he said mockingly. "No need to be a sour puss about _your_ mistake," he snickered.

Alec's anger was palpable. Edward clenched his jaw but said nothing. He pulled Bella into his own arms. She hardly resisted. She was nearly unresponsive.

He pressed his fingers to her cheek, but she wouldn't look at him. "What did you do to her?" Edward snarled.

The agents looked at each other and then at him. "We questioned her, took a statement…_followed protocol_…" That one was a low blow.

Edward ignored them and turned to look at Alec. "Sir, I request your permission to leave now. We can meet up in Seattle in a couple of days."

Alec's eyes flashed to Bella and her shaking form. He realized that he shouldn't feel too sorry for himself. At least the women he loved hadn't been beaten, raped, and tortured for two years, only to be forced into a situation that had her _mere feet_ from her tormentors. Alec nodded once before turning and walking away.

Edward cast one last glare in the two agent's directions before turning and pulling her way from them.

The flight home had been even less pleasant than their flight going. Bella still hadn't spoken and was still being unresponsive. _What happened in that interview room?_

The drive back home was a little better. Bella seemed to realize that she was far away from…_there_. She came out of her trance a bit, holding her hand out for him to take. He did, quickly, for fear of losing her once more to the darkness that resided in her puzzling head.

They pulled up to their dark brownstone as it neared midnight.

Though the city was still very much alive, the suburbs surrounding it were quiet and a bit eerie. Edward pulled Bella from the car and carried their bags into the house.

"Do you want some tea, maybe?" he asked, uncertainty coloring his voice.

She cast her eyes away from his, shaking her head. "A bath," she murmured, her eyes drooping slightly. "A bath would be nice."

He opened his mouth, ready to protest but thought better of it. He lumbered up the stairs, exhausted, yet ready to do anything she asked of him.

She followed silently.

**OoO**

She shivered delicately at the feel of his hands tracing along the curvature of her spine, kneading up and down. The tub was filled to the brim, her chin submerged beneath lavender scented water.

Her mind had been a tizzy of information and memories flashing behind her eyelids. But his magical fingers stopped the rushing waterfall in her head and allowed her to fully grasp a truth that seemed almost farfetched.

Her nightmare with Aro Volturi had reached its conclusion.

She never again needed to worry about the life of slavery that she'd led for the past few years.

She had a loving man holding and protecting her. Her savior.

"Hey, Edward?" she asked, suddenly.

"Hm," he hummed, admiring the way the goose flesh on her shoulder felt beneath his lips.

Her eyes caught his in the mirror. Gold speckled coffee with thick fringed lashes tightened with curiosity. "What's the color of freedom?"

A little half smile appeared on the handsome boy-man's face. He raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you want it to be."

~Fin


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